Phytoremediation of fluoroalkylethers (ether-PFASs): A review on bioaccumulation and ecotoxilogical effects.

Fluoroalkylethers (ether-PFASs), as alternatives to phased-out per- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), have attracted mounting attention due to their ubiquitous detection in aquatic environment and their similarity to legacy PFASs in terms of persistence and toxicity. In this review, the sources and distribution of ether-PFASs in soil ecosystem as well as their toxic impacts on soil microbial community are summarized. The plant uptake and bioaccumulation potential of ether-PFASs are presented, and a wide range of the influencing factors for their uptake and translocation is discussed. In response to ether-PFASs, the corresponding phytotoxic effects, such as seed germination, plant growth, photosynthesis, oxidative damage, antioxidant enzymes activities, and genotoxicity, are systematically elucidated. Finally, the current knowledge gaps and future research prospective are highlighted. The findings of this review will advance our understanding for the environmental behavior and implications ether-PFASs in soil-plant systems and help explore the strategies for ether-PFASs remediation to minimize their adverse toxicity.

Effects of moderate-intensity physical training on students' mental health recovery / Efeitos do treinamento físico de intensidade moderada sobre a recuperação da saúde mental dos estudantes / Efectos del entrenamiento físico de intensidad moderada en la recuperación de la salud mental de los estudiantes

ABSTRACT Introduction Moderate-intensity physical training effectively improves physical fitness and promotes an important impact on restoring human mental health. Objective This study aims to explore the effect of moderate-intensity physical training on students' mental health. Methods 100 students presented themselves as research volunteers. The moderate-intensity sport the students played was badminton. Each exercise lasted 30 minutes. A scale was used to detect the students' emotional changes after exercise. Different intensity exercise programs were formulated according to the improvement in the student's mood. The mechanism of the impact of moderate-intensity exercise on mental health was also compared. Results Students' emotional state before the exercise intervention was affected by physical exhaustion. After the exercise intervention, the emotional state of college students was shown to be more resilient to physical exhaustion. The dynamic changes in students' states before and after the intervention were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion Moderate-intensity sports positively affect students' mental health recovery. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment outcomes.

RESUMO Introdução O treinamento físico de intensidade moderada é uma forma eficaz de aperfeiçoar a aptidão física além de promover um impacto importante na restauração da saúde mental humana. Objetivo O objetivo deste estudo é explorar o efeito do treinamento físico de moderada intensidade sobre a saúde mental dos estudantes. Métodos 100 estudantes apresentaram-se como voluntários de pesquisa. O esporte de intensidade moderada que os estudantes praticam foi o badminton. Cada exercício teve duração de 30 minutos. Uma escala foi utilizada para detectar as alterações emocionais dos estudantes após a prática do exercício. Formulou-se diferentes programas de exercícios de intensidade de acordo com a melhoria do humor do estudante. O mecanismo do impacto do exercício de intensidade moderada sobre a saúde mental também foi comparado. Resultados O estado emocional dos estudantes antes da intervenção de exercícios foi afetado pela exaustão física. Após a intervenção de exercício, o estado emocional dos estudantes universitários mostrou-se mais resistente à exaustão física. As mudanças dinâmicas do estado dos estudantes antes e depois da intervenção foram estatisticamente significativas (P<0,05). Conclusão Os esportes de intensidade moderada afetam positivamente a recuperação da saúde mental dos estudantes. Nível de evidência II; Estudos terapêuticos - investigação dos resultados do tratamento.

RESUMEN Introducción El entrenamiento físico de intensidad moderada es una forma eficaz de mejorar la aptitud física, además de promover un importante impacto en el restablecimiento de la salud mental humana. Objetivo El objetivo de este estudio es explorar el efecto del entrenamiento físico de intensidad moderada en la salud mental de los estudiantes. Métodos 100 estudiantes se presentaron como voluntarios para la investigación. El deporte de intensidad moderada que practican los alumnos es el bádminton. Cada ejercicio duró 30 minutos. Se utilizó una escala para detectar los cambios emocionales de los estudiantes después del ejercicio. Se formularon programas de ejercicio de diferente intensidad en función de la mejora del estado de ánimo de los alumnos. También se comparó el mecanismo del impacto del ejercicio de intensidad moderada en la salud mental. Resultados El estado emocional de los estudiantes antes de la intervención de ejercicio se vio afectado por el agotamiento físico. Tras la intervención de ejercicio, se demostró que el estado emocional de los estudiantes universitarios era más resistente al agotamiento físico. Los cambios dinámicos en el estado de los alumnos antes y después de la intervención fueron estadísticamente significativos (P<0,05). Conclusión Los deportes de intensidad moderada afectan positivamente a la recuperación de la salud mental de los estudiantes. Nivel de evidencia II; Estudios terapéuticos - investigación de los resultados del tratamiento.

Construction and evaluation of a prognostic risk model of tumor metastasis-related genes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is a high-incidence cancer, and it is also the most common cause of cancer death worldwide. 80-85% of lung cancer cases can be classified as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: NSCLC transcriptome data and clinical information were downloaded from the TCGA database and GEO database. Firstly, we analyzed and identified the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between non-metastasis group and metastasis group of NSCLC in the TCGA database, Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were consulted to explore the functions of the DEGs. Thereafter, univariate Cox regression and LASSO Cox regression algorithms were applied to identify prognostic metastasis-related signature, followed by the construction of the risk score model and nomogram for predicting the survival of NSCLC patients. GSEA analyzed that differentially expressed gene-related signaling pathways in the high-risk group and the low-risk group. The survival of NSCLC patients was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. ROC curve was plotted to evaluate the accuracy of the model. Finally, the GEO database was further applied to verify the metastasis­related prognostic signature. RESULTS: In total, 2058 DEGs were identified. GO functions and KEGG pathways analysis results showed that the DEGs mainly concentrated in epidermis development, skin development, and the pathway of Neuro active ligand -receptor interaction in cancer. A six-gene metastasis-related risk signature including C1QL2, FLNC, LUZP2, PRSS3, SPIC, and GRAMD1B was constructed to predict the overall survival of NSCLC patients. The reliability of the gene signature was verified in GSE13213. The NSCLC patients were grouped into low-risk and high-risk groups based on the median value of risk scores. And low-risk patients had lower risk scores and longer survival time. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression verified that this signature was an independent risk factor for NSCLC. CONCLUSION: Our study identified 6 metastasis biomarkers in the NSCLC. The biomarkers may contribute to individual risk estimation, survival prognosis.

Frontier progress of the combination of modern medicine and traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, accounting for 90% of primary liver cancer) was the sixth most common cancer in the world and the third leading cause of cancer death in 2020. The number of new HCC patients in China accounted for nearly half of that in the world. HCC was of occult and complex onset, with poor prognosis. Clinically, at least 15% of patients with HCC had strong side effects of interventional therapy (IT) and have poor sensitivity to chemotherapy and targeted therapy. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as a multi-target adjuvant therapy, had been shown to play an active anti-tumor role in many previous studies. This review systematically summarized the role of TCM combined with clinically commonly used drugs for the treatment of HCC (including mitomycin C, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, sorafenib, etc.) in the past basic research, and summarized the efficacy of TCM combined with surgery, IT and conventional therapy (CT) in clinical research. It was found that TCM, as an adjuvant treatment, played many roles in the treatment of HCC, including enhancing the tumor inhibition, reducing toxic and side effects, improving chemosensitivity and prolonging survival time of patients. This review summarized the advantages of integrated traditional Chinese and modern medicine in the treatment of HCC and provides a theoretical basis for clinical research.

Xuedan Sustained Release Pellets Ameliorate Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Rats by Targeting Gut Microbiota and MAPK Signaling Pathways.

Cucurbitacins have a variety of bioactivities, such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant-like, and antiviral effects, but their pharmacological effect in ulcerative colitis (UC) has not been reported until now. Thus, this study aims to investigate the preventive effects of Xuedan sustained release pellets (XSPs) on UC rats and the underlying mechanisms. XSPs were prepared by extracting cucurbitacins from Hemsleya. Experimental UC rats were induced by the intake of 4% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) for a week and treated with different doses of XSP (0.95, 1.90, and 3.8 mg/kg). The body weight, colon length, disease activity index (DAI), and histological changes of colonic tissue were measured. In addition, the expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines were detected by using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Pathways involved in the intestinal inflammation were targeted by RNA-sequencing. Moreover, the changes of gut microbial diversity and composition were analyzed by the 16SrNA analysis and the contents of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were detected by GC-MS. The results revealed that XSP intervention greatly restored the weight loss and colonic shortening (p < 0.05) and reduced the raised DAI scores, myeloperoxidase, and nitric oxide activities in UC in rats (p < 0.05). XSP administration also downregulated the protein levels of pro-inflammatory factors IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α. Notably, it was found that XSP considerably suppressed the activation of the MAPK signaling pathway. In addition, XSP treatment improved the balance of gut microbiota that was disturbed by DSS. The beneficial bacteria Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136 group and Lactobacillus at the genus level significantly increased in the XSP group, which had decreased with the use of DSS (p < 0.05). Pathogenic bacteria including Escherichia-Shigella and Bacteroides in UC in rats were reduced by XSP intervention. Furthermore, XSP significantly elevated the production of SCFAs in UC in rats (p < 0.05). These alterations in inflammatory status were accompanied with changes in gut microbiota diversity and SCFA production. In conclusion, XSP exhibited protective effects against DSS-induced UC in rats. XSP treatment decreased inflammation via modulation of gut microbiota composition and SCFA production.

Polysaccharides from Dendrobium officinale ameliorate colitis-induced lung injury via inhibiting inflammation and oxidative stress.

It has been reported that Dendrobium officinale polysaccharides (DOPS) could alleviate colitis in animal model and suppress the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and ß-arrestin1 in vitro. However, it remains unclear whether DOPS has effect on protecting against colitis-induced pulmonary injury. The purpose of this study was to explore the protective effect and mechanism of DOPS on colitis-induced lung injury. A dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced mice colitis model and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BEAS-2B cells model were applied in this study. The results showed that DOPS treatment restored histopathological changes, reduced inflammatory cells infiltration, pro-inflammatory cytokines levels, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and MDA generation, and increased anti-oxidative enzymes activities including SOD and GSH-Px in colitis mice. Further investigation showed that DOPS significantly inhibited the protein expression of TLR4, and apparently up-regulated proteins expressions of nuclear-Nrf2, HO-1 and NQO-1 in lung tissues of colitis mice and in BEAS-2B cells. These results indicated that DOPS significantly inhibited inflammation and oxidative stress to alleviate colitis-induced secondary lung injury, and its mechanisms are closely related to the inhibition of TLR4 signaling pathway and the activation of Nrf2 signaling pathway. DOPS may be a promising drug for alleviating colitis-induced lung injury.

Functionalized g-C3N4 nanosheets for potential use in magnetic resonance imaging-guided sonodynamic and nitric oxide combination therapy.

The oxygen consumption-induced hypoxia and the high concentration of glutathione in tumor microenvironment limit the treatment outcomes of sonodynamic therapy (SDT). SDT needs to be combined with other treatment modalities to achieve the desired therapeutic efficiency. In this study, an oxidized g-C3N4 (OCN) nanosheet-based theranostic nanoplatform is developed for sonodynamic and nitric oxide (NO) combination therapy of cancer. The OCN nanosheets are successively modified with amino-terminated 6-armed polyethylene glycol, chlorin e6, and Gd3+ ions, and then the as-prepared OCN-PEG-(Ce6-Gd3+) nanosheets are loaded with the NO donor N,N'-di-sec-butyl-N,N'-dinitroso-1,4-phenylenediamine (BNN6). Upon ultrasound (US) irradiation, the OCN-PEG-(Ce6-Gd3+)/BNN6 nanocomposite can induce the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and simultaneously release NO molecules to effectively kill the cancer cells, thereby significantly suppressing the tumor growth. Moreover, a good in vivo T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast effect is achieved after intravenous injection of OCN-PEG-(Ce6-Gd3+)/BNN6 due to remarkably enhanced contrast performance of the nanocomposite. Therefore, the OCN-PEG-(Ce6-Gd3+)/BNN6 formulation can serve as a promising theranostic agent for MRI-guided sonodynamic-NO combination therapy.

Long noncoding RNA LINC00339 promotes the oncogenicity of gastric cancer by regulating SRY-box 9 expression via sponging of microRNA-539.

Differential expression of LINC00339 is involved in the malignancy of multiple human cancer types. Nonetheless, the expression profile, functions, and potential mechanisms of action of LINC00339 in gastric cancer are yet to be fully elucidated. This study aimed at measuring LINC00339 expression in gastric cancer and examining the prognostic significance of LINC00339 in patients with gastric cancer. The detailed functions of LINC00339 with regard to the aggressive characteristics of gastric cancer cells and the underlying molecular mechanisms were investigated. Here, we found that LINC00339 expression was aberrantly high in gastric cancer and significantly associated with lymph node metastasis, invasive depth, and TNM stage. Patients with gastric cancer in a LINC00339 high-expression group showed shorter overall survival than patients in a LINC00339 low-expression group. A knockdown of LINC00339 suppressed gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and induced apoptosis in vitro and slowed tumor growth in vivo. In terms of the mechanism, LINC00339 was found to act as a molecular sponge on microRNA-539 (miR-539). SRY-box 9 (SOX9) was confirmed as a direct target gene of miR-539 in gastric cancer cells. An miR-539 knockdown attenuated the effects of the LINC00339 knockdown on the malignant characteristics of gastric cancer cells. Overall, LINC00339 plays a critical role in the malignancy of gastric cancer by regulating SOX9 via sponging of miR­539. Our findings highlight the importance of the LINC00339-miR-539-SOX9 pathway in gastric cancer pathogenesis and may point to novel targets for the diagnosis, prognosis, and/or treatment of gastric cancer.

The Shuganhuazheng Formula in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Study Based on Network Pharmacology and In Vivo Experiments.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Among breast cancer subtypes, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has the highest degree of malignancy and the worst prognosis. The Shuganhuazheng formula (SGHZF) is a traditional Chinese herbal formula for the treatment of TNBC, but the mechanism of SGHZF in the treatment of TNBC remains unclear. In this study, the therapeutic effect and mechanism of SGHZF against TNBC were preliminarily determined based on in vivo experimental verification and network pharmacology. In terms of therapeutic effects, the antitumour effect was verified by measuring and calculating tumour volume, and the expression of proto-oncogene c-Myc was verified by PCR. In terms of the mechanism, potential therapeutic targets were identified by overlapping the SGHZF-related and TNBC-related targets. After comprehensively analysing the results of the protein-protein interaction (PPI), gene ontology (GO) function, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses, Akt and HIF-1α were selected for verification by using immunohistochemical and Western blot analyses. The results of the study indicated that SGHZF can inhibit breast tumour growth in mice and that the mechanism may be related to the inhibition of Akt and HIF-1α expression.

Radiofrequency ablation technique eradicating palpebral margin neoplasm.

AIM: To report the study on radiofrequency ablation technique for eradication of palpebral margin neoplasm and its clinical effects. METHODS: One hundred and six cases with the palpebral margin neoplasm were performed surgical removal with radiofrequency ablation technique. The 1-2 months postoperative follow-up was investigated and the lost cases were excluded from statistics. The continuing follow-up lasted about 6-16months. RESULTS: One hundred cases underwent one treatment and 6 cases underwent two treatments. Six cases were missed. All the cases followed up healed well without pigmentation or scar left, nor eyelash loss or palpebral margin deformation. No case was recurrent. CONCLUSION: Radiofrequency ablation has significant efficiency in eradicating the palpebral margin neoplasm.

[Electroacupuncture at Zusanli (ST 36) for treatment of nausea and vomiting caused by the chemotherapy of the malignant tumor: a multicentral randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical effects between electroacupuncture at Zusanli (ST 36) combined with intravenous drip of Granisetron and intravenous drip of Granisetron only for treatment of nausea and vomiting caused by the chemotherapy of the malignant tumor. METHODS: The methods of multicentral, randomized controlled trial were used, the observation group (127 cases) was treated with electroacupuncture at Zusanli (ST 36) combined with intravenous drip of Granisetron, and the control group (119 cases) was treated with intravenous drip of Granisetron only. RESULTS: The total effective rate of 90.5% in observation group was superior to that of 84.0% in control group (P < 0.01); the nausea and vomiting scores of two groups were obviously decreased after treatment (both P < 0.001), and the decreased degree of the observation group was superior to that of control group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Electroacupuncture at Zusanli (ST 36) can significantly alleviate the symptoms such as nausea and vomiting caused by the chemotherapy of the patients.