'A big nebulous, multifaceted concept': reflections from Victorian personal injury lawyers on wellbeing, burnout and vicarious trauma.

There is a spotlight on mental health, with government initiatives in Australia highlighting the importance of, and need for, greater focus on psychological wellbeing and on addressing psychosocial hazards at work. The growing body of evidence in Australia and internationally suggests that the mental health and wellbeing of lawyers is adversely affected by their work. This cross-disciplinary evidence highlights the need for mental health concerns to be addressed systemically to prevent psychosocial injury and for tailored, proactive psychological support services in the legal environment. In this article we present evidence derived from qualitative interviews with Victorian personal injury lawyers, which form part of a broader study of lawyers and mediators engaged in emotion-laden work. This study aimed to ascertain to what extent the legal system considers the emotional wellbeing and mental health needs of personal injury disputants, lawyers and mediators, identify ways to reduce stigma associated with help seeking and inform proactive prevention initiatives and tailored support services. Findings from this build on past research and continue to highlight themes around stigma, vicarious trauma and collegial support and call attention to the psychological impact of legal practice on Australian lawyers. From this, preventative measures can be developed and implemented to avoid psychosocial injury and provide much-needed specialised support services.

Risk assessment of combined exposure to lead, cadmium, and total mercury among the elderly in Shanghai, China.

Lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and total mercury (THg) are toxic heavy metals (THMs) that are widely present in the environment and can cause substantial health problems. However, previous risk assessment studies have rarely focused on the elderly population and have usually targeted a single heavy metal, which might underestimate the long-term accumulative and synergistic effects of THMs in humans. Based on the food frequency questionnaire and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, this study assessed external and internal exposures to Pb, Cd and THg in 1747 elderly people in Shanghai. Probabilistic risk assessment with the relative potential factor (RPF) model was used to assess the neurotoxicity and nephrotoxicity risks of combined THMs exposures. The mean external exposures of Pb, Cd and THg in Shanghai elderly were 46.8, 27.2 and 4.9 µg/day, respectively. Plant-based foods are the main source of Pb and THg exposure, while Cd is mainly from animal-based foods. The mean concentrations of Pb, Cd and THg were 23.3, 1.1 and 2.3 µg/L in the whole blood, and 6.2, 1.0 and 2.0 µg/L in the morning urine, respectively. Combined exposure to THMs leading to 10.0 % and 7.1 % of Shanghai elderly at risk of neurotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. The results of this study have important implications for understanding the profiles of Pb, Cd and THg exposure in the elderly living in Shanghai and provide data support for risk assessment and control of nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity from combined THMs exposure in the elderly.

Investigation on knowledge, attitudes and practices about food safety and nutrition in the China during the epidemic of corona virus disease 2019.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices (K-A-P) about food safety and nutrition in Chinese adults who were recruited to the online survey during the epidemic of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). DESIGN: Participants were recruited by an online snowball sampling method. An electronic questionnaire was sent to our colleagues, students, friends, other professionals and their referrals helped us recruit more participants. The questionnaire included socio-demographic information, the attention paid to COVID-19, K-A-P about food safety and nutrition. Multiple and logistic regression analyses were used to explore related factors of K-A-P. SUBJECTS: Totally, 2272 participants aged 24·09 ± 9·14 years, from twenty-seven provinces, autonomous districts or municipalities, with 18·3 % male and 83·4 % with a medical background. RESULTS: The total possible knowledge score was 8·0, the average score was 5·2 ± 1·6 and 4·2 % obtained 8·0. The total possible attitudes score was 8·0, the average score was 6·5 ± 1·4 and 36·1 % obtained 8·0. The total possible food safety practices score was 5·0, the average score was 3·7 ± 1·0 and 20·7 % obtained 5·0. During this public emergency, 79·4 % participants changed diet habits, including increasing vegetables, fruit and water intake and reducing sugary drinks and snacks. Gender, age, educational and professional background, disease history, the attention paid to COVID-19 and related knowledge were associated with K-A-P. CONCLUSION: There was room for the improvement of K-A-P in participants during this public health emergency and further strengthening education about food safety and nutrition is needed. Findings indicate that education should address biased or misleading information and promote nutritious food choices and safe food practices.

Structure Identification of ViceninII Extracted from Dendrobium officinale and the Reversal of TGF-ß1-Induced Epithelial⁻Mesenchymal Transition in Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells through TGF-ß/Smad and PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathways.

ViceninII is a naturally flavonoid glycoside extracted from Dendrobium officinale, a precious Chinese traditional herb, has been proven to be valuable for cancer treatment. Transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1), promotes the induction of epithelial⁻mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process involved in the metastasis of cells that leads to enhanced migration and invasion. However, there is no previously evidence that ViceninII has an inhibitory effect on cancer metastasis, specifically on the TGF-ß1-induced EMT process in lung adenocarcinoma cells. In this experiment, we used UV, ESIMS, and NMR to identify the structure of ViceninII.A549 and H1299 cells were treated with TGF-ß1 in the absence and presence of ViceninII, and subsequent migration and invasion were measured by wound-healing and transwell assays. The protein localization and expressions were detected by immunofluorescence and Western blotting. The results indicated that TGF-ß1 induced spindle-shaped changes, increased migration and invasion, and upregulated or downregulated the relative expression of EMT biomarkers. Meanwhile, these alterations were significantly inhibited when co-treated with ViceninII and inhibitors LY294002 and SB431542. In conclusion, ViceninII inhibited TGF-ß1-induced EMT via the deactivation of TGF-ß/Smad and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways.This is the first time that the anti-metastatic effects of ViceninII have been demonstrated, and their molecular mechanisms provided.

Isoviolanthin Extracted from Dendrobium officinale Reverses TGF-ß1-Mediated Epithelial⁻Mesenchymal Transition in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells via Deactivating the TGF-ß/Smad and PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathways.

Dendrobium officinale is a precious medicinal herb and health food, and its pharmacological actions have been studied and proved. However, the mechanisms by which its active flavonoid glycosides affect epithelial⁻mesenchymal transition (EMT) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, such as HepG2 and Bel-7402 cells, have not been previously investigated. Therefore, we investigated whether isoviolanthin extracted from the leaves of Dendrobium officinale inhibits transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1-induced EMT in HCC cells. In this study, the physicochemical properties and structure of isoviolanthin were identified by HPLC, UV, ESIMS, and NMR and were compared with literature data. HCC cells were pretreated with 10 ng/mL TGF-ß1 to induce EMT and then treated with isoviolanthin. Herein, we found that isoviolanthin exhibited no cytotoxic effects on normal liver LO2 cells but notably reduced the migratory and invasive capacities of TGF-ß1-treated HCC cells. Additionally, isoviolanthin treatment decreased matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9 levels, and remarkably altered the expression of EMT markers via regulating the TGF-ß/Smad and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways; Western blot analysis confirmed that the effects of the inhibitors SB431542 and LY294002 were consistent with those of isoviolanthin. These findings demonstrate the potential of isoviolanthin as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of advanced-stage metastatic HCC.

Effect of letrozole on moderate and severe early-onset ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in high-risk women: a prospective randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is an iatrogenic complication of controlled ovarian stimulation. Early ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome occurs during luteal phase of controlled ovarian stimulation within 9 days after human chorionic gonadotropin trigger and reflects an acute consequence of this hormone on the ovaries. Late ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome occurs 10 or more days after human chorionic gonadotropin trigger and reflects increased endogenous human chorionic gonadotropin levels following pregnancy. Human chorionic gonadotropin stimulates granulosa-lutein cells to produce vascular endothelial growth factor messenger RNAs, which in turn raises serum vascular endothelial growth factor concentration and increases vascular permeability in women with ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Efforts to reduce the incidence and severity of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome after oocyte retrieval, and in particular primary prevention efforts, are vital to prevent thrombogenesis and other serious complications. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to compare the efficacy of letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor, with aspirin in primary prevention of early ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and to compare vascular endothelial growth factor levels between groups. STUDY DESIGN: Participants in this prospective randomized trial included 238 participants undergoing cryopreservation of the whole embryos after oocyte retrieval with at least 1 of the following high-risk factors for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome: oocyte retrieval ≥25; estradiol level ≥5000 pg/mL on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin administration; and clinical or ultrasonographic evidence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome on the day of oocyte retrieval, such as ultrasonographic evidence of ascites. After human chorionic gonadotropin triggering, experimental (119 cases) and control (119 cases) groups received letrozole and aspirin, respectively, for 5 days. The 5 categories of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome include no, yes-mild, yes-moderate, yes-severe, and yes-critical. The primary outcome was the incidence and severity of early ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. The secondary outcome included vascular endothelial growth factor level both on the second and seventh day after the human chorionic gonadotropin trigger, and clinical and laboratory features of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome symptoms. RESULTS: The incidence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome was significantly higher in women receiving aspirin, compared with letrozole (90.2% vs 80.4%, P = .044). Moderate and severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome was also higher in the aspirin group, 45.1%, compared with the letrozole group, 25.0% (P = .002). Moreover, the duration of luteal phase was shortened in letrozole group compared with aspirin group (8.1 ± 1.1 days vs 10.5 ± 1.9 days, P < .001). The vascular endothelial growth factor level was significantly higher in the letrozole-treated group than aspirin-treated group (0.49 ± 0.26 vs 0.42 ± 0.22, P = .029). CONCLUSION: Letrozole was more effective than aspirin in decreasing the incidence of moderate and severe early-onset ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Our results indicate that ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome might be caused through a luteolytic effect rather than through modulation of vascular endothelial growth factor, racing by a decline in estradiol and termination of early-onset ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in advance in high-risk women with cryopreservation of the whole embryos.

Syllabic tone articulation influences the identification and use of words during Chinese sentence reading: Evidence from ERP and eye movement recordings.

In two experiments, we examined the contribution of articulation-specific features to visual word recognition during the reading of Chinese. In spoken Standard Chinese, a syllable with a full tone can be tone-neutralized through sound weakening and pitch contour change, and there are two types of two-character compound words with respect to their articulation variation. One type requires articulation of a full tone for each constituent character, and the other requires a full- and a neutral-tone articulation for the first and second characters, respectively. Words of these two types with identical first characters were selected and embedded in sentences. Native speakers of Standard Chinese were recruited to read the sentences. In Experiment 1, the individual words of a sentence were presented serially at a fixed pace while event-related potentials were recorded. This resulted in less-negative N100 and anterior N250 amplitudes and in more-negative N400 amplitudes when targets contained a neutral tone. Complete sentences were visible in Experiment 2, and eye movements were recorded while participants read. Analyses of oculomotor activity revealed shorter viewing durations and fewer refixations on-and fewer regressive saccades to-target words when their second syllable was articulated with a neutral rather than a full tone. Together, the results indicate that readers represent articulation-specific word properties, that these representations are routinely activated early during the silent reading of Chinese sentences, and that the representations are also used during later stages of word processing.

Unraveling Informality and Precarity: New Labor Law Strategies for the Global Reproduction Network of Cross-Border Surrogacy.

This paper provides an analysis of the complex global reproduction networks driving the rapidly expanding cross-border surrogacy industry in Asia's reproductive bioeconomy. It sheds light on the unique features of informal surrogacy networks, notable for their flexible business ties and non-standardized surrogate mother recruitment. These factors contribute to heightened vulnerability for surrogate mothers operating within these networks. While previous literature has underscored the merits of labor law in regulating the surrogacy industry, its application in informal cross-border surrogacy remains under-examined. To address this gap, this research delves into innovative labor law strategies with potential to better regulate the surrogacy sector. Drawing inspiration from progressive labor regulations and supply chain strategies in Bulgaria and Australia, the proposed model aims to redefine the traditional employment relationship. This shift is aimed at bolstering protection for surrogate mothers and enforcing accountability throughout the surrogacy business network. The model further advocates for a collective framework that fosters collaboration and mandates the documentation and registration of surrogacy contracts. Moreover, it underscores the critical significance of international collaboration in bridging regulatory gaps and distributing accountability across consumer and supply states.

Shared translation in second language activates unrelated words in first language.

The present study explored bilingual coactivation during natural monolingual sentence-reading comprehension. Native Chinese readers who had learned Japanese as a second language and those who had not learned it at all were tested. The results showed that unrelated Chinese word pairs that shared a common Japanese translation could parafoveally prime each other. Critically, this translation-related preview effect was modulated by the readers' language-learning experiences. It was found only among the late Chinese-Japanese bilinguals, but not among the monolingual Chinese readers. By setting a novel step, which was testing bilingual coactivation of semantic knowledge in a natural reading scenario without an explicit presentation of L2 words, our results suggest that bilingual word processing can be automatic, unconscious and nonselective. The study reveals an L2-to-L1 influence on readers' lexical activation during natural sentence reading in an exclusively native context.

Geographic location and ethnicity comprehensively influenced vitamin D status in college students: a cross-section study from China.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D plays an important role in the health of adolescents, whereas vitamin D status of Chinese college students was seldom studied in China. To explore the vitamin D status and its relationship with ethnicity and geographic location in Chinese college students. METHODS: The freshmen were taken a physical examination by trained medical personnel after they reported to university. Demographic information including age, gender, ethnicity, region of original residence was collected using a questionnaire survey. Serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations were measured using a liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer. Multiple regression analyses were used to explore the factors that influence serum 25(OH)D3 levels. RESULTS: Totally 3220 freshmen who came from 26 provinces, autonomous districts or municipalities were recruited, with a mean age of 18.75 ± 1.18 years and 70.2% of them were female. The mean serum 25(OH)D3 levels were 18.51 ± 6.54 ng/mL, and the proportion of vitamin D deficiency (< 20 ng/mL) and insufficiency (20 ~ < 30 ng/mL) was 64.4% and 30.2%, respectively. The combined proportion of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency was increased with the latitude increased. Miao had the highest serum 25(OH)D3 levels, whereas Kazak ethnic had the lowest (22.51 ng/mL vs. 13.94 ng/mL) among different ethnic groups. Female students, students from city, Uighur and Kazak ethnic, residing in high latitude was significantly associated with lower serum 25(OH)D3 levels (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency is an important health problem in Chinese college students. Sunlight activities, dietary and life-style intervention for college students according to geographic location and ethnicities should be considered.

Diet, physical activity, and UV protection comprehensively influenced vitamin D status in college students: a cross-section study from China.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency is one of the most prevalent health problems worldwide in all age groups, whereas vitamin D status of Chinese college students was seldom studied in China. The purpose of this study was to explore the vitamin D status in Chinese college freshmen and its influencing factors, providing evidence for nutrition strategy application. METHODS: Information including demographic status, diet habit, physical activity, and ultraviolet ray (UV) protection was collected by online questionnaire. Serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations were measured using a liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer. Multivariate linear regression analyses were used to explore the comprehensive influence of diet, physical activity and UV protection on serum 25(OH)D3 levels. RESULTS: Totally 1667 freshmen from 26 provinces, autonomous districts or municipalities, were recruited, with a mean age of 18.6 ± 0.9 years. The mean serum 25(OH)D3 levels were 18.1 ± 6.3 ng/mL and the proportion of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency was 67.5% and 27.8%, respectively. Multivariate linear regression indicated that higher intake of milk and yogurt, calcium or vitamin D supplementation, and longer time of outdoor activity were positively linked to higher serum 25(OH)D3, while higher intake of candy and higher UV protection index were negatively associated with serum 25(OH)D3, after adjusted for age, gender, region of original residence, latitudes, longitude and BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency is very common in Chinese college students. Milk and yogurt intake and outdoor activity should be encouraged while candy intake should be limited for preventing vitamin D deficiency. Public health policies should focus on these changeable lifestyles and consider well-balanced guidelines on UV protection and vitamin D supplementation.

The dynamic expression of SOX17 in germ cells from human female foetus and adult ovaries after specification.

Background: SOX17 has been identified as a critical factor in specification of human primordial germ cells, but whether SOX17 regulates development of germ cells after sex differentiation is poorly understood. Methods: We collected specimens of gonadal ridge from an embryo (n=1), and ovaries of foetuses (n=23) and adults (n=3). Germ cells were labelled with SOX17, VASA (classic germ cells marker), phosphohistone H3 (PHH3, mitosis marker) and synaptonemal complex protein 3 (SCP3, meiosis marker). Results: SOX17 was detected in both cytoplasm and nucleus of oogonia and oocytes of primordial and primary follicles from 15 to 28 gestational weeks (GW). However, it was exclusively expressed in cytoplasm of oogonia at 7 GW, and in nucleus of oocytes in secondary follicles. Co-expression rates of SOX17 in VASA+ germ cells ranged from 81.29% to 97.81% in foetuses. Co-staining rates of SOX17 and PHH3 or SCP3 were 0%-34% and 0%-57%, respectively. Interestingly, we distinguished a subpopulation of SOX17+VASA- germ cells in fetal ovaries. These cells clustered in the cortex and could be co-stained with the mitosis marker PHH3 but not the meiosis marker SCP3. Conclusions: The dynamic expression of SOX17 was detected in human female germ cells. We discovered a population of SOX17+ VASA- germ cells clustering at the cortex of ovaries. We could not find a relationship between mitosis or meiosis and SOX17 or VASA staining in germ cells. Our findings provide insight into the potential role of SOX17 involving germ cells maturation after specification, although the mechanism is unclear and needs further investigation.

Gigantol inhibits proliferation and enhances DDP-induced apoptosis in breast-cancer cells by downregulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

AIMS: Gigantol is a bibenzyl compound isolated from orchids of the genus Dendrobium. Gigantol has been demonstrated to possess various pharmacologic (including anticancer) effects. Cisplatin (DDP) has been used and studied as the first-line agent for breast cancer (BC) treatment. Often, its efficacy is jeopardized due to intolerance and organ toxicity. We investigated if gigantol could enhance the anticancer effects of DDP in BC cells and its underlying mechanism of action. MAIN METHODS: The potential pathway of gigantol in BC cells was detected by network-pharmacology and molecular-docking studies. The proliferation and apoptosis of BC cell lines were measured by the MTT assay, colony formation, Hoechst-33342 staining, and flow cytometry. Protein expression was measured by western blotting. KEY FINDINGS: Gigantol could inhibit proliferation of BC cells and enhance DDP-induced apoptosis. According to the results of western blotting, gigantol reinforced DDP-induced anticancer effects through downregulation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) signaling pathway in BC cells. The effects were consistent with those of the pathway inhibitor LY294002. SIGNIFICANCE: Our data might provide new insights into the underlying antitumor effect of gigantol in BC cells. This enhancement effect in the combination of gigantol and DDP may provide many therapeutic benefits in clinical treatment regimens against BC.

ERP evidence for the online processing of rhythmic pattern during Chinese sentence reading.

Prosodic information has been found to have immediate impact upon spoken sentence comprehension. However, it is not clear to what extent such information could constrain neuro-cognitive processes in silent reading. In this event-related potential (ERP) study, we investigate whether a particular prosodic constraint in Chinese, the rhythmic pattern of the verb-noun combination, affects sentence reading and whether neural markers of rhythmic pattern processing are similar to those of prosodic processing in the spoken domain. In Chinese, the rhythmic pattern refers to the combination of words with different lengths, with some combinations (e.g., the [2+1] pattern; numbers in brackets stand for the number of syllables of the verb and of the noun respectively) disallowed and some combinations (e.g., [1+1] or [2+2]) preferred. We manipulated the well-formedness of rhythmic pattern as well as the semantic congruency between the verb and the noun and we visually presented sentences, segment by segment, to readers who were required to make acceptability judgment to each sentence. In two experiments in which the verb and the noun were presented either separately or as one segment, we found that the abnormal rhythmic pattern evoked an N400-like effect in the 400- to 600-ms time window and a late positivity effect in semantically congruent sentences; however, the abnormal rhythmic pattern elicited a posterior positivity effect in the 300- to 600-ms time window in semantically incongruent sentences. These findings suggest that information concerning rhythmic pattern is used rapidly and interactively to constrain semantic access/integration during Chinese sentence reading.

Combined effects of smoking and peripheral arterial disease on all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in a Chinese male cohort.

OBJECTIVE: Smoking is a major risk factor for peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and PAD is associated with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. The objective of this study was to determine the combined effects of smoking and PAD on all-cause and CVD mortality. METHODS: A total of 1979 males 35 years of age or older were enrolled from eight university-affiliated hospitals in Beijing and Shanghai in 2004, with both smoking status and PAD diagnosis obtained, 1712 of them had complete follow-up data. Mortality data were obtained from all participants between December 2007 and February 2008. Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate relative risks (RRs) of all-cause mortality and CVD mortality among different groups. RESULTS: At baseline, the average age of participants was 66.98-years-old (SD = 11.57), prevalence of PAD was 24.0% and 65.4% smoked cigarettes. During the 3-year follow-up, all-cause cumulative mortality rates were 27.9% (PAD/smoker), 26.3% (PAD/nonsmoker), 14.1% (no PAD/smoker), and 14.4% (no PAD/nonsmoker) (P < .001), and CVD cumulative mortality rates were 17.8%, 14.9%, 8.1%, and 7.3%, respectively (P < .001). Compared with the no PAD/nonsmoker subjects, adjusted RR from all-cause mortality in the groups of both PAD/smoker, PAD/nonsmoker, and no PAD/smoker were 1.88 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.34-2.64), 1.37 (95% CI, 0.85-2.23), and 1.08 (95% CI, 0.79-1.49), respectively. The adjusted RR from CVD mortality was 2.12 (95% CI, 1.37-3.28), 1.55 (95% CI, 0.84-2.86), and 1.13 (95% CI, 0.74-1.71), respectively. CONCLUSION: PAD is a major determinant of mortality. Smoking did not contribute to mortality in this study. Further research is needed.

Peripheral arterial disease, chronic kidney disease, and mortality: the Chinese Ankle Brachial Index Cohort Study.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and examine the combined effect of CKD and PAD on all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. The Chinese Ankle Brachial Index Cohort consisted of 3732 adults aged 35 years or older enrolled in 2004 and followed-up in 2007. Complete baseline data were compiled on 3610 people which were examined in the final analysis. Mortality surveillance was completed from December 2007 to February 2008. Survival analysis was used to compare the survival rate in different CKD/PAD groups. The relative risks (RR) of death from all-cause and CVD were compared using a Cox regression model. It was found that the prevalence of PAD in patients with and without CKD was 41.9% and 22.3%, respectively (p < 0.001). The survival rate for the CKD and PAD group was significantly lower than that for any single disease, for both all-cause and CVD mortality (log-rank: p < 0.001). In conclusion, CKD is a risk factor for PAD. The combined CKD and PAD patients had the highest risk for all-cause and CVD mortality. Early recognition of risk can be made by taking an ankle-brachial index measurement of PAD; a corresponding laboratory assessment should be used as a measurement of renal function for PAD patients.

Polysaccharide from spore of Ganoderma lucidum ameliorates paclitaxel-induced intestinal barrier injury: Apoptosis inhibition by reversing microtubule polymerization.

Side effects of chemotherapy are burning questions for physicians and patients involved in cancers. Ganoderma lucidum is a widely consumed traditional Chinese medicine and edible mushroom with multiple functional properties. The present study aims to investigate the potential of polysaccharides from spore of G. lucidum (SGP) on small intestinal barrier function recovery against paclitaxel (PTX) challenge in a breast cancer mice model and IEC-6 cell line. The 4T1 tumor-bearing mice were treated with PTX together with four-week daily oral administration of SGP. Results indicated that combination of PTX and SGP reversed body weight lost and remolded the histology of small intestine, accompanied with promoted proliferation but suppressed apoptosis in intestinal cells. Intestinal barrier function was enhanced by the combination as indicated by reduced endotoxemia and the up-regulation of tight junction proteins, including Zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), E-cadherin, ß-catenin and Occludin. The protection of SGP was further confirmed in IEC-6 cells affected by PTX in vitro. The combination treatment prevented PTX-induced apoptosis in IEC-6 by inhibiting microtubule polymerization, and the aforementioned tight junction proteins were also upregulated. These findings suggest a promising protective effect of SGP against small intestinal barrier injury caused by PTX, highlighting its clinical implication against the chemotherapy side effects.

Functional analysis of a novel C-glycosyltransferase in the orchid Dendrobium catenatum.

Flavonoids, which are a diverse class of phytonutrients, are used by organisms to respond to nearly all abiotic stresses and are beneficial for human health. Glycosyltransferase, used during the last step of flavonoid biosynthesis, is important in flavonoid enrichment. However, little is known about glycosyltransferase in the orchid Dendrobium catenatum (D. officinale). In this study, we isolated a novel C-glycosyltransferase (designated DcaCGT) from the orchid D. catenatum by identifying and analyzing 82 putative genes in the GT1 family. DcaCGT could specifically catalyze not only di-C-glycosylation but also O-glycosylation. Apart from the normal function of catalyzing 2-hydroxynaringenin and phloretin to the respective di-C-glycosides, DcaCGT also catalyzes apigenin to cosmosiin. Targeted metabolic profiling of the substrates (2-hydroxynaringenin, phloretin, and apigenin) and products (vitexin, isovitexin, vicenin-2, nothofagin, 3',5'-di-C-glucosylphloretin, and cosmosiin) in different tissues showed that vicenin-2 was the most abundant product of this novel enzyme. Cosmosiin was detected in flowers and flower buds. We also established that DcaCGT functions expanded throughout the evolution of D. catenatum. Residual OGT activity may help D. catenatum resist drought stress. Our study illustrates the function, origin, and differentiation of DcaCGT and provides insights into glycosylation and molecular propagation processes, which can be used to improve the production of flavonoids by the cultivated medicinal plant D. catenatum.

Physicochemical and Antioxidant Properties of the Degradations of Polysaccharides from Dendrobium officinale and Their Suitable Molecular Weight Range on Inducing HeLa Cell Apoptosis.

Different molecular weight polysaccharides of Dendrobium officinale (DOPs) have gradually attracted attention because of their broad biological activities. They, however, remain poorly defined whether their antitumor activity is associated with molecular weight. In this study, the physicochemical, antioxidant, and antitumor properties of DOPs, including the crude polysaccharide (DOP) and its six degradation fractions (DOP1-DOP6) extracted from Dendrobium officinale, were determined. Consequently, DOPs were mainly composed of different ratios of mannose and glucose as follows: 5.15 : 1, 4.62 : 1, 4.19 : 1, 4.46 : 1, 4.32 : 1, 4.29 : 1, and 4.23 : 1, and their molecular weights were significantly different ranging from 652.29 kDa to 11.10 kDa. With the concentration increase of DOPs, the scavenging capacity against OH and DPPH free radicals increased. The antitumor ability of DOPs was different that DOP1-DOP5 (Mw: 176.29 kDa-28.48 kDa) exhibited the best antiproliferation activity than DOP (Mw: 652.29 kDa) and DOP6 (Mw: 11.10 kDa) in HeLa cells rather than PC9, A549, and HepG2 cells. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that DOP1 and DOP5 showed stronger capability on inducing apoptosis of HeLa cells than DOP and DOP6 via the mitochondrial pathway by upregulating the ratio of the Bax/Bal-2 mRNA expression. The results demonstrated that DOPs can be used as the potential natural antioxidant and antitumor products in pharmaceutical industries, and the molecular weight is a crucial influential factor of their antitumor activity that 28.48 kDa-176.29 kDa is a suitable range we may refer to.

The predictive value of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity in coronary atherosclerosis and peripheral artery diseases in urban Chinese patients.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most common diseases throughout the world. To investigate the relationship between brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and arterial atherosclerosis and peripheral artery disease (PAD) and its potential diagnostic value in diagnosing arterial sclerosis, a self-designed questionnaire and special machine designed by Colin Corp., Ltd. were implemented to measure the level of baPWV and the ankle-brachial index (ABI) and their relations to coronary and peripheral artery atherosclerosis. The results showed that baPWV and ABI were equally effective at predicting stenosis of the coronary arteries and stenosis of the arteries of the lower extremities. Different levels of baPWV with corresponding ABI can express different degrees of arterial sclerosis and peripheral artery lesion to a certain extent. Measurement of both baPWV and ABI is thus highly recommended in clinical investigation. Arterial wave reflection is a major determinant of left ventricular function, coronary perfusion, and cardiovascular risk. We investigated whether arterial wave velocity can detect atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries and peripheral arteries in patients with documented coronary artery diseases. Our goal was to investigate the relationship between baPWV and arterial atherosclerosis and PAD and their potential diagnostic value. Two hundred and seventy-two patients ranging in age from 45-92 years (mean: 66.87+/-11.42 years) were selected from the Department of Cardiology of our hospital. A carefully designed questionnaire was used to gather baseline data for each patient. All patients underwent cardioangiography and were divided into four groups according to their Gensini scores: a control group, and groups with a mild, moderate, or severe degree of stenosis. One hundred and five of these patients simultaneously underwent angiography of the lower extremities and were divided into four groups according to the degree of artery stenosis: a control group, and groups with a mild, moderate, or severe degree of stenosis. Grouping of baPWV levels was made according to Japanese surveys. Bilateral baPWV and ABI were measured using non-invasive arterial atherosclerosis measuring equipment. In the coronary artery groups based on Gensini score, ABI in the group with a high degree of stenosis was significantly lower than that in the control and moderate stenosis groups, while the baPWV was significantly higher than that in the control and mild stenosis groups. In the grouping of baPWV levels, it was indicated that the ABI level was significantly different between each group. The ABI<0.9 in groups with baPWV<1,400 cm/s and >2,100 cm/s was higher than that in other groups. In the grouping by angiography of the lower extremities, the ABI level was decreased with increasing degree of artery stenosis while the baPWV levels were increased under the same circumstance (p<0.05 or p<0.01). Logistic regression analysis indicated that relatively low ABI, high baPWV, abnormal fasting blood glucose, and smoking were independent risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases. The simultaneous measurement of bilateral baPWV and ABI using the newly developed equipment presented herein is highly recommended, and should play an important role in predicting the possibility of cardiovascular diseases and the degree of coronary artery lesions. It is important to note that baPWV is not only one of the risk factors in the presence of coronary stenosis, but also a substitute index of target-organ damage, another parameter in predicting PAD. The current study indicated that a baPWV>1,800 cm/s often follows a severe coronary artery event, while baPWV>2,100 cm/s may be related to potential PAD. baPWV measurement is helpful to make new standard of diagnosing PAD in Chinese cohorts.