Timing of decompression in central cord syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: This study compared the recovery of motor function and the safety of early and delayed surgical intervention in patients with central cord syndrome (CCS). METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were employed to retrieve the targeted studies published from inception to February 19, 2023. Comparative studies of early versus delayed surgical decompression in CCS based on American Spinal Injury Association motor score (AMS) recovery, complication rates, and mortality were selected. The statistical analyses were performed using STATA 16.0 and RevMan 5.4. RESULTS: Our meta-analysis included 13 studies comprising 8424 patients. Results revealed that early surgery improved AMS scores significantly compared with delayed surgery, with an increase in MDs by 7.22 points (95% CI 1.98-12.45; P = 0.007). Additionally, early surgery reduced the complication rates than delayed surgery (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.42-0.67, P < 0.00001). However, no significant difference was observed in mortality between the two groups (OR 0.97; 95% CI 0.75-1.26; P = 0.84). CONCLUSIONS: Early surgical decompression for CCS can improve motor function and reduce the incidence of complications without affecting the mortality rate in patients. Future research should focus on investigating and analyzing the optimal window period for early CCS surgery. Additionally, the timing of surgery should be determined based on the patient's condition and available medical resources.

Algorithm of face anti-spoofing based on pseudo-negative features generation.

Introduction: Despite advancements in face anti-spoofing technology, attackers continue to pose challenges with their evolving deceptive methods. This is primarily due to the increased complexity of their attacks, coupled with a diversity in presentation modes, acquisition devices, and prosthetic materials. Furthermore, the scarcity of negative sample data exacerbates the situation by causing domain shift issues and impeding robust generalization. Hence, there is a pressing need for more effective cross-domain approaches to bolster the model's capability to generalize across different scenarios. Methods: This method improves the effectiveness of face anti-spoofing systems by analyzing pseudo-negative sample features, expanding the training dataset, and boosting cross-domain generalization. By generating pseudo-negative features with a new algorithm and aligning these features with the use of KL divergence loss, we enrich the negative sample dataset, aiding the training of a more robust feature classifier and broadening the range of attacks that the system can defend against. Results: Through experiments on four public datasets (MSU-MFSD, OULU-NPU, Replay-Attack, and CASIA-FASD), we assess the model's performance within and across datasets by controlling variables. Our method delivers positive results in multiple experiments, including those conducted on smaller datasets. Discussion: Through controlled experiments, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our method. Furthermore, our approach consistently yields favorable results in both intra-dataset and cross-dataset evaluations, thereby highlighting its excellent generalization capabilities. The superior performance on small datasets further underscores our method's remarkable ability to handle unseen data beyond the training set.

Spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Spinal cord injury without fracture dislocation (SCIWORA) is relatively rare, and spastic paralysis for more than 2 months with Diffuse diopathic skeletal hyperoseosis (DISH) is even rarer. CASE PRESENTATION: A 70-year-old male patient presented with quadriplegia for more than 2 months after a fall. He's incontinent of stool and urine. An MRI was performed and the diagnosis was "SCIWORA, DISH". After surgical treatment, there was a significant recovery of postoperative related symptoms. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: The timing of SCIWORA surgery remains controversial, with most studies suggesting that early surgery (within 24 h) is more effective. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is one of the main surgical procedures that directly and completely removes compression from the anterior aspect of the spinal cord. Patients with SCIWORA combined with DISH may have fractures due to low-energy injuries and should be treated aggressively with surgery to avoid secondary injury to the spinal cord. CONCLUSION: Adult SCIWORA patients should be aggressively treated surgically when vital signs are stable and relatively calm. To avoid secondary injury, titanium plates combined with self-stabilizing fusions provide reliable immediate stabilization and can be used as one of the internal fixation modalities.

An Umbrella Insight into the Phytochemistry Features and Biological Activities of Corn Silk: A Narrative Review.

Corn silk (Zea mays L.) is the stigma of an annual gramineous plant named corn, which is distributed in many regions worldwide and has a long history of medicinal use. In recent years, with the sustainable development of traditional Chinese medicine, studies of corn silk based on modern technologies, such as GC-MS, LC-MS, and other analytical means, have offered more comprehensive analyses. Phytochemistry studies have shown that the main bioactive components in corn silk include flavonoids, polyphenols, phenolic acids, fatty acids, and terpenoids. Pharmacological studies have shown that corn silk extract has various pharmacological effects, such as reducing blood lipids, lowering blood pressure, regulating blood sugar levels, anti-inflammatory effects, and anti-oxidation effects. In this paper, the related research on corn silk from the past few years is summarized to provide a theoretical reference for the further development and utilization of corn silk.

Triphenylphosphonium-linked derivative of hecogenin with enhanced antiproliferative activity: Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation.

Hecogenin (HCG), a steroidal sapogenin, possesses good antitumor properties. However, the application of HCG for cancer treatment has been hindered primarily by its moderate potency. In this study, we incorporated triphenylphosphonium cation (TPP+) at the C-3 and C-12 positions through different lengths of alkyl chains to target mitochondria and enhance the efficacy and selectivity of the parent compound. Cytotoxicity screening revealed that most of the target compounds exhibited potent antiproliferative activity against five human cancer cell lines (MKN45, A549, HCT-116, MCF-7, and HepG2). Structure-activity relationship studies indicated that the TPP+ group significantly enhanced the antiproliferative potency of HCG. Among these compounds, 3c demonstrated remarkable potency against MKN45 cells with an IC50 value of 0.48 µM, significantly more effective than its parent compound HCG (IC50 > 100 µM). Further investigations into the mechanism of action revealed that 3c induced apoptosis of MKN45 cells through the mitochondrial pathway. In a zebrafish xenograft model, 3c inhibited the proliferation of MKN45 cells. Overall, these results suggest that 3c, with potent antiproliferative activity, may serve as a valuable scaffold for developing new antitumor agents.

Regulation of Photogenerated Redox Species through High Crystallinity Carbon Nitride for Improved C-S Coupling Reactions.

A novel and efficient approach for the synthesis of α, ß-unsaturated sulfones through heterogeneous photocatalyzed C-S coupling reactions have been developed. The use of molten-salt method derived carbon nitride (MCN), a transition metal-free polymeric photocatalyst, combined with enhanced crystallinity and potassium iodide as an additive, effectively modulates photogenerated reactive redox species, markedly increasing the overall reaction selectivity. This method achieves the shortest reaction time (2 h) with high yield (up to 95 %) among the reported heterogeneous catalytic C-S bond formation reactions, matching the efficiency of the homogeneous photocatalysts. Furthermore, the application to challenging alkyne substrates has been demonstrated, underscoring the potential for a broad range of applications in pharmaceutical research and synthetic chemistry.

Changes in the centre of rotation and the anterior bone loss of the vertebral body in Mobi-C artificial disc replacement segments after cervical hybrid surgery: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the short-term efficacy and imaging results of using the Mobi-C in cervical hybrid surgery on 2-level cervical spondylolisthesis. To observe post-operative changes in the flexion-extension centre of rotation (FE-COR) and anterior bone loss (ABL) of the anterior cervical disc replacement (ACDR) segment. METHODS: Forty-two patients (20 males and 22 females, aged 42‒67 years) who underwent cervical hybrid surgery were retrospectively analysed. Their ACDR segment used Mobi-C, and the fusion segment used ROI-C, with a follow-up of 25‒42 months (31.1 ± 4.8 months). The modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) score, Neck Disability Index (NDI), and visual analogue scale (VAS) were used to assess clinical outcomes. Pre-operative, 6-month post-operative, and final follow-up radiographs were collected to compare total cervical spine curvature (C2-C7), curvature of the operated segments, range of motion (ROM) in the total cervical spine, operated segmental ROM, ACDR segmental ROM, and operated adjacent segmental ROM. The height of the superior articular process (HSAP), the orientation of zygapophyseal joint spaces (OZJS), and the length of the superior articular surface (LSAS) were measured. The FE-COR of the ACDR segment was measured using the mid-plumb line method. The translation distance of the Mobi-C was measured. The degree of disc degeneration in the adjacent segment, bony fusion of the ACDF segment, and ABL of the upper and lower vertebra of the ACDR segment were observed. RESULTS: In our group, all patients have shown improvements in their postoperative mJOA, NDI, and VAS scores. Overall cervical ROM and surgical segmental ROM decreased (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant decrease in ACDR segmental ROM and upper or lower adjacent segmental ROM compared with pre-operatively (P > 0.05). For FE-COR-X, only the last follow-up compared with pre-surgery showed statistical significance (46.74 ± 7.71% vs. 50.74 ± 6.92%, P < 0.05). For FE-COR-Y, the change was statistically significant at both 6 months post-operation and the final follow-up compared to pre-operation (45.37% ± 21.11% vs. 33.82% ± 10.87%, 45. 37% ± 21.11% vs. 27.48% ± 13.58%, P < 0.05). No significant difference in the Mobi-C translation distance was observed (P > 0.05). Moreover, the difference in HSAP was not statistically significant at each node (P > 0.05). The OZJS and LSAS were significantly different at the final follow-up compared to the pre-operative period (P < 0.05). All the ACDF segments were observed in a stable condition at the final follow-up. Furthermore, 9 of the adjacent segments showed imaging ASD (9/82, 10.98%), and all were present at the last follow-up, of which 6 were mild, and 3 were moderate. Twenty of the 42 Mobi-C segments had no significant ABL (grade 0) 6 months post-operatively (47.62%). Sixteen cases (38.10%) showed mild ABL (grade 1), and 6 cases (14.28%) showed moderate ABL (grade 2). No severe ABL occurred. CONCLUSION: The cervical hybrid surgery using Mobi-C artificial cervical discs can achieve satisfactory results. The Mobi-C segmental FE-COR-X shows a slow forward shift trend, and FE-COR-Y drops noticeably within 6 months post-surgery before stabilizing. It's common to see mild to moderate ABL after cervical hybrid surgery using Mobi-C, and significant progression is unlikely in the short term. Furthermore, changes in the FE-COR after hybrid surgery in the Mobi-C segment might not affect clinical outcomes.

Spinal epidural cavernous hemangiomas in the lumbar spine: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Spinal epidural cavernous hemangiomas (SECHs) are relatively rare intradural epidural lesions of the spinal canal, and those occurring in the lumbar spine are even rarer. CASE PRESENTATION: A 60-year-old man presented for low back pain with right leg pain. His pee and feces were both normal but symptoms were very similar to a typical lumbar disc herniation. The MRI findings suggest an epidural space of unknown nature in the spinal cord at the L2-3 level and a definite diagnosis of SECHs was made by postoperative pathological examination. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Patients who are suspected of having SECHs should undergo initial classification and differential diagnosis based on MRI imaging features. It is crucial to identify the responsible segment in correlation with the presenting symptoms. During surgery, the primary objective should be the complete removal of the mass, while taking utmost care to protect the nerves. Dynamic stabilization systems, utilizing pedicle rods, can be considered as one of the treatment options for such patients. CONCLUSION: Patients presenting with low back pain and neurological symptoms should undergo MRI, and diagnosed with SECHs should undergo early surgical intervention. For patients with an intradural mass in the spinal canal, complete resection should be performed while prioritizing nerve protection.

Influence of landscape patterns on nitrate and particulate organic nitrogen inputs to urban stormwater runoff.

This study investigated the effect of the landscape pattern of permeable/impermeable patches on NO3--N and particulate organic nitrogen (PON) concentrations during stormwater runoff transport and their source contributions. Six landscape pattern indices, namely, mean proximity index (MPI), largest patch index (LPI), mean shape index (MSI), landscape shape index (LSI), connect index (CONNECT), and splitting index (SPLIT), were selected to reflect the fragmentation, complexity, and connectivity of permeable patches in urban catchments. The results show that lower fragmentation, higher complexity, and greater connectivity can reduce NO3--N concentrations in road runoff and drainage flow (i.e., the flow in the stormwater drainage network), as well as PON concentrations in road runoff. Further, the above landscape pattern is effective for mitigating the contributions of NO3--N and PON from road runoff. Low impact development (LID) can be incorporated with the landscape pattern of permeable/impermeable patches to mitigate nitrogen pollution in urban stormwater at the catchment scale by optimizing the spatial arrangement.

Near-infrared molecular sensor for visualizing and tracking ONOO- during the process of anti-tuberculosis drug-induced liver damage.

Isoniazid (INH) and pyrazinamide (PZA) are both the first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs in clinical treatment. It is notable that there are serious side effects of the drugs along with upregulation of reactive nitrogen species, mainly including peripheral neuritis, gastrointestinal reactions, and acute drug-induced liver injury (DILI). Among them, DILI is the most common clinical symptom as well as the basic reason of treatment interruption, protocol change, and drug resistance. As vital reactive nitrogen species (RNS), peroxynitrite (ONOO-) has been demonstrated as a biomarker for evaluation and pre-diagnosis of drug-induced liver injury (DILI). In this work, we developed a red-emitting D-π-A type fluorescence probe DIC-NP which was based on 4'-hydroxy-4-biphenylcarbonitrile modified with dicyanoisophorone as a fluorescent reporter and diphenyl phosphinic chloride group as the reaction site for highly selective and sensitive sensing ONOO-. Probe DIC-NP displayed a low detection limit (14.9 nM) and 60-fold fluorescent enhancement at 669 nm in the sensing of ONOO-. Probe DIC-NP was successfully applied to monitor exogenous and endogenous ONOO- in living HeLa cells and zebrafish. Furthermore, we verified the toxicity of isoniazid (INH) and pyrazinamide (PZA) by taking the oxidative stress induced by APAP as a reference, and successfully imaged anti-tuberculosis drug-induced endogenous ONOO- in HepG2 cells. More importantly, we developed a series of mice models of liver injury and investigated the hepatotoxicity caused by the treatment of anti-tuberculosis drugs. At the same time, H&E of mice organs (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney) further confirmed the competence of probe DIC-NP for estimating the degree of drug-induced liver injury, which laid a solid foundation for medical research.

Biocontrol Potential of Trichoderma asperellum Strain 576 against Exserohilum turcicum in Zea mays.

Maize is a crucial cereal crop in China, serving both as a staple food and an essential industrial resource. Northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) is a disease of corn caused by a fungus, Exserohilum turcicum (sexual stage Setosphaeria turcica). This study aimed to assess the biocontrol potential of various Trichoderma strains against Exserohilum turcicum 101 in Jilin, China. Through dual culture tests, the Trichoderma strains were categorized into four groups based on their antagonistic abilities. Eleven Trichoderma strains exhibited strong antagonistic behavior, with comparable or faster growth rates than E. turcicum 101. Microscopic observations confirmed that T. asperellum 576 hyphae effectively encircled E. turcicum 101 hyphae, reinforcing their antagonistic behavior. The production of non-volatile and volatile substances by the Trichoderma strains was evaluated, with T. asperellum 576 showing the highest potency in producing non-volatile and volatile substances, leading to an impressive 80.81% and 65.86% inhibition of E. turcicum 101 growth. Remarkably, co-culture suspensions of T. asperellum 576 + E. turcicum 101 and T. atroviride 393 + E. turcicum 101 exhibited strong antifungal activity. Furthermore, the activities of chitinase, ß-1.3-glucanase, and cellulase were evaluated using the 3, 5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) method. T. asperellum 576 + E. turcicum 101 displayed stronger cell wall degradation enzyme activity compared to T. atroviride 393 + E. turcicum 101, with values of 8.34 U/mL, 3.42 U/mL, and 7.75 U/mL, respectively. In greenhouse conditions, the application of a 107 spores/mL conidia suspension of T. asperellum 576 significantly enhanced maize seed germination and plant growth while effectively suppressing E. turcicum 101 infection. Maize seedlings inoculated/treated with both E. turcicum 101 and T. asperellum 576 demonstrated substantial improvements compared to those inoculated solely with E. turcicum 101. The T. asperellum 576 treatment involved a 107 spores/mL conidia suspension applied through a combination of foliar spray and soil drench. These findings highlight T. asperellum 576 as a promising biocontrol candidate against northern leaf blight in maize. Its antagonistic behavior, production of inhibitory compounds, and promotion of plant growth all contribute to its potential as an effective biocontrol agent for disease management.

Grafts vs. flaps: a comparative study of Bracka repair and staged transverse preputial island flap urethroplasty for proximal hypospadias with severe ventral curvature.

Introduction: Bracka repair and staged transverse preputial island flap urethroplasty are both significant methods in treating proximal hypospadias. They utilize the flap and graft techniques, respectively, to achieve a satisfactory success rate. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of these 2 methods in the treatment of proximal hypospadias with severe ventral curvature. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 117 cases of proximal hypospadias with severe ventral curvature who had undergone either Bracka repair (n = 62) or staged transverse preputial island flap urethroplasty (n = 55). All operations were performed by a single surgeon, and the choice of method was determined by the surgeon's preference based on his experience. Cosmetic outcome was evaluated with Pediatric Penile Perception Score (PPPS). Patients' characteristics including age, penis length, glans diameter, length of the urethral defect and ventral curvature degree, cosmetic outcomes, and complication rates were all compared. Results: There was no significant difference in age, penis length, glans diameter, length of the urethral defect, or ventral curvature degree. In the Bracka group, there were 5 patients with fistula, 1 patient with stricture, and 1 case of dehiscence. In the staged transverse preputial island flap urethroplasty group, there were 4 patients with fistula, 1 with stricture, and 2 with diverticulum. The scores of shaft skin and general appearance were consistently higher in the Bracka group than in the staged transverse preputial island flap urethroplasty group. The differences in complication rate and cosmetic outcome were not statistically different (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Bracka repair and staged transverse preputial island flap urethroplasty are both satisfactory staged surgical options for proximal hypospadias with severe ventral curvature and have similar complication rates. Bracka repair may create a better appearance, but more studies are needed to confirm this finding. Pediatric surgeons should consider additional factors, such as the patient's specific condition, parents' inclination, and personal experience, rather than safety, to make the best choice between the 2 methods.

Cellular drug delivery system for disease treatment.

The application of variable novel drug delivery system has shown a flowering trend in recent years. Among them, the cell-based drug delivery system (DDS) utilizes the unique physiological function of cells to deliver drugs to the lesion area, which is the most complex and intelligent DDS at present. Compared with the traditional DDS, the cell-based DDS has the potential of prolonged circulation in body. Cellular DDS is expected to be the best carrier to realize multifunctional drug delivery. This paper introduces and analyzes common cellular DDSs such as blood cells, immune cells, stem cells, tumor cells and bacteria as well as relevant research examples in recent years. We hope that this review can provide a reference for future research on cell vectors and promote the innovative development and clinical transformation of cell-based DDS.

Overexpression of MicroRNA-155 aggravates pulpitis by targeting kinesin superfamily Proteins-5C based on illumina high-throughput sequencing.

AIM: To investigate the regulatory role of miR-155 and Kinesin Superfamily Proteins-5C (KIF-5C) in the progression of pulpitis based on bioinformatic analysis. METHODOLOGY: Normal pulp tissues and pulpitis pulp tissues were collected and subjected to high-throughput sequencing and the differentially expressed miRNAs were determined. An in vitro and in vivo pulpitis model was established. HE, IHC staining and histological evaluation were used to verify the inflammatory state of human and mouse pulp tissues. The mRNA expression of IL-1ß and TGF-ß1 were determined by RT-qPCR and protein expression of IL-1α, IL-4, IL-8, IL-13, IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-10 and MCP-1 were determined by protein chip. The target genes of miR-155 were predicted by miRanda database and verified by Dual-luciferase reporter assay, RT-qPCR and western blotting. MiR-155 lentivirus were used to upregulate or downregulate miR-155 and the siRNA of KIF-5C was used to downregulate KIF-5C. The expression of miR-155 or KIF-5C was determined by RT-qPCR. All statistics were analysed using GraphPad prism 8.2. RESULTS: The high-throughput sequencing results showed that 6 miRNAs (miR-155, miR-21, miR-142, miR-223, miR-486, miR-675) were significantly upregulated in diseased human pulp tissues, and miR-155 was significantly elevated among the six miRNAs. RT-qPCR results demonstrated that miR-155 expression was upregulated in human pulpitic tissue, mice pulpitic tissue and LPS-HDPCs. IL-1ß was increased while TGF-ß1 was decreased in lenti-miR-155 transfected LPS-HDPCs. Analysis of protein chip results indicated that lenti-miR-155 transfected LPS-HDPCs produced higher levels of IL-8, IL-6, MCP-1. The opposite results were obtained when miR-155 was inhibited. Through miRanda database screen and Dual-luciferase reporter assay, the target gene (KIF-5C) of miR-155 was identified. In lenti-miR-155 transfected LPS-HDPCs, the expression of KIF-5C was downregulated. However, when shRNA-miR-155 was transfected to LPS-HDPCs, the opposite result was obtained. Silent RNA was used to knock down KIF-5C, the results showed that when both KIF-5C and miR-155 were knocked down simultaneously, the downregulated expression of inflammatory factors observed in LPS-HDPCs following miR-155 knockdown was rescued. CONCLUSION: MiR-155 plays an important role in promoting pulpitis through targeting KIF-5C and may serve as a potential therapeutic target.

Exploring the research landscape of COVID-19-induced olfactory dysfunction: A bibliometric study.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, olfactory dysfunction (OD) has become an important and persistent legacy problem that seriously affects the quality of life. The purpose of this paper is to quantitatively analyze and visualize the current research status and development trend of COVID-19 related OD by using VOSviewer software. Based on the Web of Science database, a total of 1,592 relevant documents were retrieved in January 2023, with publication time spanning from 2020 to 2023. The bibliometric analysis revealed that the most influential research results in the field of COVID-19 related OD were concentrated in journals of related disciplines such as otorhinolaryngology, medicine, general and internal, virology, neurosciences, etc. The knowledge base of the research is mainly formed in two fields: COVID-19 clinical research and OD specialized research. The research hotspots are mainly concentrated in six directions: COVID-19, long COVID, smell, anosmia, OD, and recovery. Based on the results of the bibliometric analysis, the temporal trends of COVID-19 related OD studies were visually revealed, and relevant suggestions for future research were proposed.

Synthesis of Sequence-specific Poly(ester-carbonate) Copolymers via Chemoselective Terpolymerization Controlled by the Stoichiometric Ratio of Phosphazene/Triethylborane.

Chemoselective terpolymerization can produce polymer materials with diverse compositions and sequential structures, and thus have attracted considerable attention in the field of polymer synthesis. However, the intrinsic complexity of three-component system also brings great chanllenge, in regard to the reactivity and selectivity of different monomers. Herein, we report the terpolymerization of CO2 /epoxide/anhydride by a binary organocatalytic C3 N3 -Py-P3 /TEB (triethylborane) system. Both the activity and chemoselectivity were highly dependent upon the molar ratio of C3 N3 -Py-P3 to TEB, and sequence-controlled poly(ester-carbonate) copolymers were readily synthesized through one-pot/one-step methodology by tuning the stoichiometric ratio of phosphazene/TEB. In particular, C3 N3 -Py-P3 /TEB with a molar ratio of 1/0.5 exhibited an unprecedentedly high chemoselectivity for ring-opening alternating copolymerization (ROAC) of cyclohexene oxide (CHO) and phthalic anhydride (PA) first and then ROAC of CO2 /CHO. Thus, well-defined triblock polycarbonate-b-polyester-b-polycarbonate copolymers can be produced from the mixture of CO2 , CHO and PA using a bifunctional initiator. With C3 N3 -Py-P3 /TEB=1/1, tapered copolymers were obtained, while random copolymers with high content of polycarbonate (PC) were synthesized with further increasing the amount of TEB. The mechanism of the unexpected chemoselectivity was further investigated by DFT calculations.

Comparison of LeniScar Silicone Stick (AnsCare) With Traditional Silicone Gel (Dermatix Ultra) in Wound Scar Prevention and Removal.

BACKGROUND: As we all know, the numbers of aesthetic surgery are increasing around the world. After the surgery, the scar would be a problematic issue for both the surgeons and the patients. Silicone has proven to be effective for keloids, hypertrophic scars, and prevention of scar formation in many literatures for a long time. In terms of scar prevention, silicone has been used in the form of silicone sheets in early times, which is later improved to be the form of silicone gel with the advantage of easier usage. Although silicone gel has improved greatly in the aspect of appearance and convenience of the silicone sheets, there are still some disadvantages of the gel form. Therefore, the LeniScar silicone stick (AnsCare) is invented. OBJECTIVE: This article aimed to compare the results of scar treatment and prevention of the AnsCare LeniScar Silicone Stick versus the traditional silicone gel (Dermatix Ultra). METHODS: This study was a prospective, nonblinded, randomized clinical study. There were a total of 68 patients from September 2018 to January 2020. Patients were divided into 2 groups with AnsCare (n = 43) and Dermatix (n = 25), who both were required to schedule regular outpatient clinic follow-up, and photographs were taken before use, 1, 2, and 3 months later after the usage for the record. The physician assessed the scar condition by the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS). The scores of the VSS were further analyzed and compared. RESULTS: The overall P value of total score of VSS was 0.635, which indicates that there is no significant difference in using AnsCare LeniScar Silicone Stick versus Dermatix Ultra silicone gel in terms of scar prevention and treatment. Individual items of VSS such as pliability, height, vascularity, and pigmentation all show no significant statistical difference in the 2 treatment products, with P = 0.980, 0.778, 0.528, and 0.366, respectively. CONCLUSION: Traditional Dermatix Ultra silicone gel has been effective in the treatment of scar formation. AnsCare LeniScar Silicone Stick is statistically not different from the Dermatix Ultra silicone gel when comparing the treatment results of scar prevention. Furthermore, the AnsCare LeniScar Silicone Stick has the advantages of being time-saving with no need to wait for it to dry and application of precise amount to precise location, preventing waste or overuse.

Development of active and intelligent pH food packaging composite films incorporated with litchi shell extract as an indicator.

The anthocyanin-rich litchi shell extract (LE) was mixed with the matrix to prepare active/intelligent food packaging composite films. The microstructure and properties of composite films were characterized. The results showed that the composite films incorporated with LE had texture-oriented layered, compact, uniform cross-sections. The composite films with LE showed different degrees of red. The composite films had similar water vapor transmission rates (1.62-1.65 × 10-12 g·cm/cm2·Pa·s). However, gelatin/chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol/litchi shell extract (Gel/Csa/PVA/LE) film had better UV blocking rates (0-20 %), the best tensile strength (18.6 MPa) and elongation at break (116%). When the composite films monitored for fish freshness at 4 °C (10 d) and 25 °C (3 d), the Gel/Csa/PVA/LE film had the pH sensitivity to show an obvious color change at 25 °C, 1th day. The results suggested that the Gel/Csa/PVA/LE film could be applied to intelligent food packaging film to indicate the freshness of fish.

Chemical Composition, Anti-Breast Cancer Activity and Extraction Techniques of Ent-Abietane Diterpenoids from Euphorbia fischeriana Steud.

Ent-abietane diterpenoids are the main active constituents of Euphorbia fischeriana. In the continuing search for new anti-breast cancer drugs, 11 ent-abietane diterpenoids (1-11) were isolated from E. fischeriana. The structures of these compounds were clearly elucidated on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR spectra as well as HRESIMS data. Among them, compound 1 was a novel compound, compound 10 was isolated from Euphorbia genus for the first time, compound 11 was firstly discovered from E. fischeriana. These compounds exhibited varying degrees of growth inhibition against the MCF-10A, MCF-7, ZR-75-1 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines in vitro. The experimental data obtained permit us to identify the roles of the epoxy group, hydroxyl group and acetoxyl group on their cytotoxic activities. Extraction is an important means for the isolation, identification, and application of valuable compounds from natural plants. To maximize yields of ent-abietane diterpenoids of E. fischeriana, 17-hydroxyjolkinolide B, jolkinolide B, 17-hydroxyjolkinolide A and jolkinolide A were selected as quality controls to optimize the salting-out-assisted liquid-liquid extraction (SALLE) by response surface methodology (RSM). The optimized conditions for SALLE were 0.47 g sodium dihydrogen phosphate, 5.5 mL acetonitrile and 4.5 mL water at pH 7.5. The experimental values of 17-hydroxyjolkinolide B, jolkinolide B, 17-hydroxyjolkinolide A and jolkinolide A (2.134, 0.529, 0.396, and 0.148 mg/g, respectively) were in agreement with the predicted values, thus demonstrating the appropriateness of the model.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel diosgenin-benzoic acid mustard hybrids with potential anti-proliferative activities in human hepatoma HepG2 cells.

To discover new lead compounds with anti-tumour activities, in the present study, natural diosgenin was hybridised with the reported benzoic acid mustard pharmacophore. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the resulting newly synthesised hybrids (8-10, 14a-14f, and 15a-15f) was then evaluated in three tumour cells (HepG2, MCF-7, and HeLa) as well as normal GES-1 cells. Among them, 14f possessed the most potential anti-proliferative activity against HepG2 cells, with an IC50 value of 2.26 µM, which was 14.4-fold higher than that of diosgenin (IC50 = 32.63 µM). Furthermore, it showed weak cytotoxicity against GES-1 cells (IC50 > 100 µM), thus exhibiting good antiproliferative selectivity between normal and tumour cells. Moreover, 14f could induce G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis of HepG2 cells. From a mechanistic perspective, 14f regulated cell cycle-related proteins (CDK2, CDK4, CDK6, cyclin D1 and cyclin E1) as well mitochondrial apoptosis pathway-related proteins (Bax, Bcl-2, caspase 9, and caspase 3). These findings suggested that hybrid 14f serves as a promising anti-hepatoma lead compound that deserves further research.