Clinical efficacy of comprehensive rehabilitation intervention and its effect on Quality of Life in patients with Advanced Liver Cancer after Ultrasound-guided Microwave Ablation.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of comprehensive rehabilitation intervention and its effect on the quality of life (QoL) in patients with advanced liver cancer after ultrasound-guided microwave ablation (UMA). Methods: This is a retrospective study. Total 110 in-patients with advanced liver cancer who had received UMA in our hospital from January 2019 to January 2021 were included and randomly divided into two groups. Patients in the control group received the conventional intervention and those in the experimental group received comprehensive rehabilitation intervention. The incidence of postoperative complications as well as the differences in indicators, including emotional status, QoL score, and patient satisfaction before and after the intervention were analyzed and compared between the two groups. The differences in survival between the two groups were compared. Results: The incidence of postoperative complications in the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the control group. SAS and SDS scores of the experimental group were significantly decreased after intervention, while the control group had no significant change before and after intervention. KPS and SF-36 quality of life scores in the experimental group were significantly improved compared with the control group, and patient satisfaction was significantly higher than the control group, and the 12-month survival rate was significantly higher than that in the control group. Conclusion: Comprehensive rehabilitation intervention can reduce the incidence of postoperative complications, improve the mood and QoL, and increase patient satisfaction and survival rate in patients with advanced liver cancer after UMA.

A novel nomogram to stratify quality of life among advanced cancer patients with spinal metastatic disease after examining demographics, dietary habits, therapeutic interventions, and mental health status.

BACKGROUND: It would be very helpful to stratify patients and direct patient selection if risk factors for quality of life were identified in a particular population. Nonetheless, it is still challenging to forecast the health-related quality of life among individuals with spinal metastases. The goal of this study was to stratify patient's populations for whom the assessment of quality of life should be encouraged by developing and validating a nomogram to predict the quality of life among advanced cancer patients with spine metastases. METHODS: This study prospectively analyzed 208 advanced cancer patients with spine metastases, and collected their general characteristics, food preferences, addictions, comorbidities, therapeutic strategies, and mental health status. The functional assessment of cancer therapy-general (FACT-G) and hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) were used to assess quality of life and mental health, respectively. The complete cohort of patients was randomly divided into two groups: a training set and a validation set. Patients from the training set were conducted to train and develop a nomogram, while patients in the validation set were performed to internally validate the nomogram. The nomogram contained significant variables discovered using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) approach in conjunction with 10-fold cross-validation. The nomogram's predictive ability was assessed utilizing discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness. Internal validation was also completed using the bootstrap method after applying 500 iterations of procedures. A web calculator was also developed to promote clinical practice. RESULTS: Advance cancer patients with spinal metastases had an extremely low quality of life, as indicated by the average FACT-G score of just 60.32 ± 20.41. According to the LASSO and 10-fold cross-validation, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score, having an uncompleted life goal, preference for eating vegetables, chemotherapy, anxiety status, and depression status were selected as nomogram predictors. In the training set, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.84-0.96), while in the validation set, it was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.78-0.93). They were 0.50 (95% CI: 0.41-0.58) and 0.44 (95% CI: 0.33-0.56), respectively, for the discrimination slopes. The nomogram had favorable capacity to calibrate and was clinically useful, according to the calibration curve and decision curve analysis. When compared to patients in the low-risk group, patients in the high-risk group were above four times more likely to experience a poor quality of life (82.18% vs. 21.50%, P < 0.001). In comparison to patients in the low-risk group, patients in the high-risk group also exhibited significant higher levels of anxiety and depression. The webpage for the web calculator was https://starshiny.shinyapps.io/DynNomapp-lys/ . CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests a nomogram that can be applied as a practical clinical tool to forecast and categorize the quality of life among patients with spine metastases. Additionally, patients with poor quality of life experience more severe anxiety and depression. Effective interventions should be carried out as soon as possible, especially for patients in the high-risk group, to improve their quality of life and mental health condition.

Investigation of the factors affecting foamability and foam stability of cold brew coffee.

BACKGROUND: In this study, the foamability and foam stability of nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee, as affected by coffee variety (Arabica and Robusta), degree of roast (light, medium, dark), brewing temperature (4, 20, 35 °C), brew ratio (1:5-1:15 w/w; coffee/water), ground particle size (712, 647 and 437 µm volume mean diameter) and beverage temperature (4, 20 and 35 °C), were investigated. RESULTS: Dynamic surface tension of cold brew, as determined from bubble tensiometry, decreased from 65-70 mN m-1 to about 60 mN m-1 as the bubble lifetime increased from 0.1 s to 1 s. Infusing the cold brew coffee (70 mL) with nitrogen gas for 30 s at 50 mL min-1 generated 30-40 mL of foam head. At the same degree of roast, brews prepared from Arabica beans had more stable foam than those from Robusta. Foam stability increased with increasing degree of roast, increasing brewing temperature, decreasing particle size, and decreasing the beverage temperature. By contrast, brew ratio had relatively less effect on foaming properties. Nitrogen-containing constituents present in the 80% (v/v) ethanol-soluble fraction (55.9% of total dissolved solids) of the brew samples were important contributors to foaming, while the 80% (v/v) ethanol-insoluble fraction (42.3% of total dissolved solids) that contained polysaccharides was important in stabilizing the foam. CONCLUSION: The foamability and foam stability of cold brew coffee are significantly affected by coffee variety, degree of roast, brewing temperature, ground particle size, and beverage temperatures. The foam properties are dictated by the low-molecular-weight nitrogen-containing compounds and high-molecular-weight polysaccharides present in the cold brew coffee. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Education level as a predictor of survival in patients with multiple myeloma.

BACKGROUND: Disparities in multiple myeloma (MM) prognosis based on sociodemographic factors may exist. We investigated whether education level at diagnosis influenced Chinese MM patient outcomes. METHODS: We performed a multicenter retrospective analysis of data from 773 MM patients across 9 centers in China from 2006 to 2019. Sociodemographic and clinical factors at diagnosis and treatment regimens were recorded, and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: Overall, 69.2% of patients had low education levels. Patients with low education levels differed from those with high education levels in that they were more likely to be older, and a higher proportion lived in rural areas, were unemployed, had lower annual incomes and lacked insurance. Additionally, compared to patients with high education levels, patients with low education levels had a higher proportion of international staging system (ISS) stage III classification and elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels and underwent transplantation less often. Patients with high education levels had a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 67.50 (95% confidence interval (CI): 51.66-83.39) months, which was better than that of patients with low education levels (30.60 months, 95% CI: 27.38-33.82, p < 0.001). Similarly, patients with high education levels had a median overall survival (OS) of 122.27 (95% CI: 117.05-127.49) months, which was also better than that of patients with low education levels (58.83 months, 95% CI: 48.87-62.79, p < 0.001). In the multivariable analysis, patients with high education levels had lower relapse rates and higher survival rates than did those with low education level in terms of PFS and OS (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.50 [95% CI: 0.34-0.72], p < 0.001; HR = 0.32 [0.19-0.56], p < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Low education levels may independently predict poor survival in MM patients in China.

The PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor BEZ235 suppresses proliferation and migration and reverses multidrug resistance in acute myeloid leukemia.

Aberrant activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway contributes to the proliferation of malignant cells, and may confer resistance to chemotherapy in various malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Chemoresistance is the major reason for relapse in AML. RAD001 (everolimus) has been used at d1 and d7 of an induction chemotherapy regimen for AML, which has acceptable toxicity and may improve conventional chemotherapeutic treatment. Dual inhibitors of PI3K and mTOR overcome some of the intrinsic disadvantages of rapamycin and its derivatives. In this study, we evaluated the effects of BEZ235, a PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor, on the multidrug-resistant AML cell lines HL-60/VCR and K562/ADR in vitro. BEZ235 dose-dependently inhibited the viability of HL-60/VCR and K562/ADR cells with the IC50 values of 66.69 and 71.44 nmol/L, respectively. BEZ235 (25-100 nmol/L) dose-dependently inhibited the migration of the two AML cell lines, and it also significantly sensitized the two AML cell lines to VCR and ADR. After treatment with BEZ235, the miR-1-3p levels were markedly increased in HL-60/VCR cells. Using TargetScan analysis and luciferase assays, we showed that miR-1-3p targeted BAG4, EDN1 and ABCB1, the key regulators of cell apoptosis, migration and multidrug resistance, and significantly decreased their levels in the two AML cell lines. Transfection of HL-60/VCR and K562/ADR cells with miR-1-3p-AMO to inhibit miR-1-3p could reverse the anti-proliferation effects of BEZ235. In conclusion, the PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor BEZ235 effectively chemosensitizes AML cells via increasing miR-1-3p and subsequently down-regulating BAG4, EDN1 and ABCB1.

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Lanthanide Stannates Pyrochlore Nanocrystals for Catalytic Combustion of Soot Particulates.

Nanocrystalline La2Sn2O7 and La2Sn1.8Co0.2O7 with a phase-pure pyrochlore structure were synthesized by a hydrothermal method, and their catalytic activity was investigated for soot combustion. The as-synthesized catalysts presented relatively larger surface area, and pore volume, which was benefit to the gas molecule diffusion in the reaction. A uniform spherical structure with particle size of 200-500 nm was found in SEM. The samples via hydrothermal route are more active for catalytic soot combustion, ascribing to the spherical morphology, high surface area and improved oxygen mobility. After Co, the reducibility was improved and surface oxygen vacancy was produced, resulting in the enhanced activity and selectivity to CO2 formation.

MiR-92a mediates AZD6244 induced apoptosis and G1-phase arrest of lymphoma cells by targeting Bim.

AZD6244, an ATP-uncompetitive inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase 1/2 (MEK1/2), has shown activity in several malignant tumours. However, whether AZD6244 has a function in lymphoma cells is not known. We report that AZD6244 treatment represses the growth of Raji and MOLT4 cells by inducing apoptosis and G1-phase arrest. Using miRNAs array and quantitative RT-PCR, miR-92a was downregulated byAZD6244 treatment through the ERK1/2-AP1 signalling pathway. Overexpression of miR-92a abrogated AZD6244-induced apoptosis and G1-phase arrest, indicating that it is involved in the cytotoxicity of AZD6244 in lymphoma cells. A luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-92a directly targetsthe 3'-UTRs of Bim. Overexpression of miR-92a mimics downregulated Bim mRNA and protein expression level, indicating that miR-92a negatively regulates its expression at both levels. Silencing Bim decreases AZD6244-induced apoptosis and G1-phase arrest, suggesting that Bim contributes to the growth arrest. Thus, miR-92a mediates AZD6244-induced cytotoxicity of lymphoma cells by targeting Bim. Downregulation of miR-92a by AZD6244 is mediated by the ERK1/2-AP1 signalling pathway.

The role of AMP-activated protein kinase in quercetin-induced apoptosis of HL-60 cells.

Our previous studies have shown that quercetin inhibits Cox-2 and Bcl-2 expressions, and induces human leukemia HL-60 cell apoptosis. In order to investigate the role of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) on quercetin-induced apoptosis of HL-60 cells, we used flow cytometry to detect cell apoptosis. The expressions of LKB1, phosphorylated AMPK (p-AMPK), and Cox-2 protein were detected in HL-60 cells and normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by western blot. The expressions of LKB1, p-AMPK, and Cox-2 were detected in HL-60 cells after culture with quercetin. The expressions of p-AMPK were detected in HL-60 cells after culture with AMPK inhibitor Compound C. Then, the expressions of LKB1, p-AMPK, and Cox-2 were detected in HL-60 cells after culture with quercetin alone or quercetin + Compound C. It was found that there was no significant difference in LKB1 between PBMCs and HL-60. p-AMPK in PBMCs was higher than that in HL-60, while Cox-2 was lower. After culture of HL-60 with quercetin, p-AMPK was increased, Cox-2 was decreased, but LKB1 remained unchanged. After culture of HL-60 with Compound C, p-AMPK was decreased. There was no significant difference in LKB1 between the quercetin-alone and the quercetin + Compound C groups. p-AMPK decreased more significantly, while Cox-2 increased more significantly in the quercetin + Compound C groups than those in the quercetin-alone groups. Taken together, these findings suggested that quercetin activates AMPK expression in HL-60 cells independent of LKB1 activation, inhibits Cox-2 expression by activating AMPK, and further regulates the Bcl-2-dependent pathways of apoptosis to exert its anti-leukemia effect.

Meta-Path Semantic and Global-Local Representation Learning Enhanced Graph Convolutional Model for Disease-Related miRNA Prediction.

Dysregulation of miRNAs is closely related to the progression of various diseases, so identifying disease-related miRNAs is crucial. Most recently proposed methods are based on graph reasoning, while they did not completely exploit the topological structure composed of the higher-order neighbor nodes and the global and local features of miRNA and disease nodes. We proposed a prediction method, MDAP, to learn semantic features of miRNA and disease nodes based on various meta-paths, as well as node features from the entire heterogeneous network perspective, and node pair attributes. Firstly, for both the miRNA and disease nodes, node category-wise meta-paths were constructed to integrate the similarity and association connection relationships. Each target node has its specific neighbor nodes for each meta-path, and the neighbors of longer meta-paths constitute its higher-order neighbor topological structure. Secondly, we constructed a meta-path specific graph convolutional network module to integrate the features of higher-order neighbors and their topology, and then learned the semantic representations of nodes. Thirdly, for the entire miRNA-disease heterogeneous network, a global-aware graph convolutional autoencoder was built to learn the network-view feature representations of nodes. We also designed semantic-level and representation-level attentions to obtain informative semantic features and node representations. Finally, the strategy based on the parallel convolutional-deconvolutional neural networks were designed to enhance the local feature learning for a pair of miRNA and disease nodes. The experiment results showed that MDAP outperformed other state-of-the-art methods, and the ablation experiments demonstrated the effectiveness of MDAP's major innovations. MDAP's ability in discovering potential disease-related miRNAs was further analyzed by the case studies over three diseases.

Cloning and functional analysis of three genes encoding polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins from Capsicum annuum and transgenic CaPGIP1 in tobacco in relation to increased resistance to two fungal pathogens.

Polygalacturonase-inhibiting proteins (PGIPs) are plant cell wall glycoproteins that can inhibit fungal endopolygalacturonases (PGs). The PGIPs directly reduce the aggressive potential of PGs. Here, we isolated and functionally characterized three members of the pepper (Capsicum annuum) PGIP gene family. Each was up-regulated at a different time following stimulation of the pepper leaves by Phytophthora capcisi and abiotic stresses including salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate, abscisic acid, wounding and cold treatment. Purified recombinant proteins individually inhibited activity of PGs produced by Alternaria alternata and Colletotrichum nicotianae, respectively, and virus-induced gene silencing in pepper conferred enhanced susceptibility to P. capsici. Because three PGIP genes acted similarily in conferring resistance to infection by P. capsici, and because individually purified proteins showed consistent inhibition against PG activity of both pathogens, CaPGIP1 was selected for manipulating transgenic tobacco. The crude proteins from transgenic tobacco exhibited distinct enhanced resistance to PG activity of both fungi. Moreover, the transgenic tobacco showed effective resistance to infection and a significant reduction in the number of infection sites, number of lesions and average size of lesions in the leaves. All results suggest that CaPGIPs may be involved in plant defense response and play an important role in a plant's resistance to disease.

A novel recombinant Salmonella vaccine enhances the innate immunity of NK cells against acute myeloid leukaemia cells Kasumi-1 in vitro.

Minor histocompatibility antigen HA-1-specific cytotoxic lymphocyte (CTL) clones have apparent anti-leukaemic efficacy, and the AML/ETO gene is a special fusion gene in leukaemic cells. Thus, we hypothesised that a vaccine targeting HA-1 and AML/ETO could stimulate NK cells to target leukaemia cells. Furthermore, we packaged the vaccine using attenuated Salmonella to enhance its immuno-activity. Expression of the NK cell-activating ligand ULBP2 was notably elevated upon packaging in a co-recombinant group. An AML/ETO single plasmid gave the weakest vaccine. The level of miR-182, which targets ULBP2, significantly decreased with increasing IFN-γ and granzyme B in a co-recombinant group. In summary, DNA vaccines including AML/ETO and HA-1 fragments significantly enhance the innate immunity of NK cells in vitro.

Set9, NF-κB, and microRNA-21 mediate berberine-induced apoptosis of human multiple myeloma cells.

AIM: To investigate the mechanisms by which berberine suppressed the proliferation of human multiple myeloma cells. METHODS: Human U266 multiple myeloma cell line was tested. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, ultramicrostructure and secretion function were examined using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8), flow cytometry (FCM), electron and fluorescence microscopy, as well as ELISA assay. The microRNAs (miRs) and transcription factors in U266 cells were detected using arrays and verified by qRT-PCR. EMSA and luciferase assays were used to verify the p65-dependent transactivation of miR-21 gene. RESULTS: Treatment of U266 cells with berberine (40-160 µmol/L) suppressed cell proliferation and IL-6 secretion in dose- and time-dependent manners. Meanwhile, berberine dose-dependently induced ROS generation, G(2)/M phase arrest and apoptosis in U266 cells, and decreased the levels of miR-21 and Bcl-2. Overexpression of miR-21 counteracted berberine-induced suppression of cell proliferation and IL-6 secretion. In U266 cells treated with berberine (80 µmol/L), the activity of NF-κB was decreased by approximately 50%, followed by significant reduction of miR-21 level. berberine (80-160 µmol/L) increased the level of Set9 (lysine methyltransferase) by more than 2-fold, caused methylation of the RelA subunit, which inhibited NF-κB nuclear translocation and miR-21 transcription. In U266 cells treated with berberine (80 µmol/L), knockdown of Set9 with siRNAs significantly increased NF-κB protein level accompanying with a partial recovery of proliferation. CONCLUSION: In U266 cells, berberine suppresses NF-κB nuclear translocation via Set9-mediated lysine methylation, leads to decrease in the levels miR21 and Bcl-2, which induces ROS generation and apoptosis.

A mini-review about direct steam heating and its application in dairy and plant protein processing.

The world's requirement for plant protein consumption is increasing. However, their application in different foods is limited due to their low techno-functionality. Heating is the most widely used method to improve the functionality of proteins. Compared to indirect tubular or plate heating methods, direct steam injection heating (DSIH) can heat the sample much faster, thus modifying the structure and functionality of protein differently. It is used in the sterilization of milk to minimize the heat-induced denaturation of whey proteins and the loss of volatiles. By contrast, its application in producing plant protein ingredients is seldom. This review summarizes recent research using DSIH to process dairy- and plant-based proteins and proposes future research perspectives. DSIH is a promising technique for producing functional protein ingredients. It is of particular interest to overcome the techno-functional hurdles of plant protein blends using DSIH to improve their behavior in different food matrices.

UiO-66-NH2 nanocomposites incorporated cellulose acetate for forward osmosis membranes of high desalination performance.

In this paper, the hydrophilic UiO-66-NH2 nanomaterial was synthesized by the solvent-thermal method and characterized. Then, UiO-66-NH2 was introduced into the casting membrane solution of cellulose acetate (CA) forward osmosis (FO) membrane, and CA/UiO-66-NH2 forward osmosis membrane was prepared by the phase inversion method. The optimum preparation conditions of CA/UiO-66-NH2 mixed matrix membranes were determined as follows: the content of UiO-66-NH2 was 0.4 wt%, the coagulation bath temperature was 35°C, the mixing temperature was 50°C and the heat treatment temperature was 50°C. FTIR, SEM, water contact angle and AFM were carried out on CA/UiO-66-NH2 forward osmosis membrane prepared under the best preparation conditions. Compared to the CA forward osmosis membrane, the permeability and selectivity of the CA/UiO-66-NH2 membrane were improved. The water flux and reverse salt flux of the CA/UiO-66-NH2 forward osmosis membrane reached 52.32 L/(m2·h) and 2.43 g/(m2·h), respectively. The permeability selectivity of CA membranes and CA/UiO-66-NH2 membranes did not change much during 180 min, indicating that the two membranes had good long-term stability. This study shows a potential advantage of UiO-66-NH2 as additives for improvement in the desalination performance of forward osmosis membranes.

Lineage switch from lymphoma to myeloid neoplasms: First case series from a single institution.

Lymphoma relapse is very common in clinical work, but lineage switch at relapse is rare. Although some cases have reported acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) switch to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myeloid sarcoma upon relapse, phenotype switch seldom occurs in other types of lymphoma. Here we report six cases with lineage switch from lymphoma to myeloid neoplasms. In our cohort, three cases were mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), and the other three cases were T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL), B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (B-LBL), and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) at the initial diagnosis. When linage switch occurred, most cases were AML M5 phenotypes, and only one case was myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) phenotype. 11q23/mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL) rearrangement was negative in all cases. Although intensive therapy and stem cell transplantation have been applied in most cases, the poor outcome cannot be reversed. Therefore, we found that lineage switch could occur not only from ALL to AML or vice versa, but also from MCL or DLBCL to AML. Moreover, the incidence of MLL rearrangement in lineage switch is lower in adult hematologic malignancies as compared with pediatric patients.

Desalination Characteristics of Cellulose Acetate FO Membrane Incorporated with ZIF-8 Nanoparticles.

Forward osmosis membranes have a wide range of applications in the field of water treatment. However, the application of seawater desalination is restricted, so the research of forward osmosis membranes for seawater desalination poses new challenges. In this study, zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) was synthesized by a mechanical stirring method, and its crystal structure, surface morphology, functional group characteristics, thermochemical stability, pore size distribution and specific surface area were analyzed. The cellulose acetate (CA)/ZIF-8 mixed matrix forward osmosis membrane was prepared by using the synthesized ZIF-8 as a modified additive. The effects of the additive ZIF-8 content, coagulation bath temperature, mixing temperature and heat treatment temperature on the properties of the CA/ZIF-8 forward osmosis membrane were systematically studied, and the causes were analyzed to determine the best membrane preparation parameters. The structure of the CA membrane and CA/ZIF-8 mixed matrix forward osmosis membranes prepared under the optimal conditions were characterized by Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle and Atomic force microscope (AFM). Finally, the properties of the HTI membrane (Membrane manufactured by Hydration Technology Innovations Inc.), CA forward osmosis membrane and CA/ZIF-8 mixed matrix forward osmosis membrane were compared under laboratory conditions. For the CA membrane, the water flux and reverse salt flux reached 48.85 L·m-2·h-1 and 3.4 g·m-2·h-1, respectively. The reverse salt flux and water flux of the CA/ZIF-8 membrane are 2.84 g·m-2·h-1 and 50.14 L·m-2·h-1, respectively. ZIF-8 has a promising application in seawater desalination.

Quercetin induces apoptosis by activating caspase-3 and regulating Bcl-2 and cyclooxygenase-2 pathways in human HL-60 cells.

Quercetin is one of the naturally occurring dietary flavonol compounds. It is present abundantly in plants and has chemopreventive and anticancer effects. To investigate its anticancer mechanism, we examined the activity of quercetin against acute leukemia cell line, HL-60. Our results showed that quercetin inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, quercetin down-regulated the expression of anti-apoptosis protein Bcl-2 and up-regulated the expression of pro-apoptosis protein Bax. Caspase-3 was also activated by quercetin, which started a caspase-3-depended mitochodrial pathway to induce apoptosis. It was also found that quercetin inhibited the expression of the cycloocygenase-2 (Cox-2) mRNA and Cox-2 protein. Taken together, these findings suggested that quercetin induces apoptosis in a caspase-3-dependent pathway by inhibiting Cox-2 expression and regulates the expression of downstream apoptotic components, including Bcl-2 and Bax. Quercetin can be a potent and promising medicine which might be safely used in leukemia therapy.

Trypan blue removal from water with zein sorbents and laccase.

ABSTRACT: Zein-based materials were used to remove Trypan blue from water under flow conditions and in batch tests. In flow tests, zein dissolved at pH = 13 was injected in sand columns and subsequently coagulated with CaCl2, to create an adsorbent filter which removed over 99% of Trypan blue. Batch tests were conducted using zein powder, zein dissolved at pH = 13 and coagulated with CaCl2, Fe2Cl3 or citric acid, and zein dissolved in ethanol and then coagulated with water. The highest Trypan blue removal was achieved with zein powder (4000 mg Trypan blue/kg sorbent, as determined through spectrophotometry), followed by zein coagulated with Fe2Cl3 (500 mg Trypan blue/kg sorbent) and with other salts (140 mg Trypan blue/kg sorbent). Differences in the sorption efficiency are attributed to differences in the surface area. The sorption isotherm of Trypan blue onto zein-based sorbents was a Type II isotherm, suggesting physisorption. Desorption of Trypan blue was limited when zein-based coagulated sorbents were immersed in pure water. Trypan blue could be degraded by free laccase in water, as determined through spectrophotometry and electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS). Trypan blue could also be degraded by laccase when zein-based laccase-containing sorbents were prepared at pH = 10, using Fe2Cl3 as coagulant. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42452-020-04107-w.

[Immuno-regulatory effect of 3'-meisoindigo in mice of various germlines].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of 3'-meisoindigo on the proliferation and the biological function of the splenocyte and thymocyte of mouse, which were 8 weeks old masculinity BALB/c, C57BL/6 and F1 hybridization mouse. METHODS: Cells of thymus and spleen were harvested and prepared as the unicell suspension, then treated with 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 micromol/L 3'-meisoindigo. The cell proliferation was by MTT method, concentration of IL-12 was dectected by ELISA method, the mRNA levels of Bcl-2 and CDK2 were decected by RT-PCR. The cell cycle, apoptosis ratio, death ratio and intracellular ROS concentration were detected by FCM method. The protein level of Bcl-2, CDK2 and Bax were detected by immumofluorescence method. RESULTS: 15, 20, 25 micromol/L 3'-meisoindigo can inhibit the proliferation of thymocyte and splenocyte (P < 0.05). It had dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. 3'-meisoindigo inhibit the secretion of IL-12, even at 5 micromol/L concentration. 15 micromol/L 3'-meisoindigo decrease the mRNA level of Bcl-2 and CDK2, induced apoptosis and G2 arrestting of the thymocyte and splenocyte. (P < 0.05). The intracellular ROS level increased after treated by 3'-meisoindigo at 15 micromol/L for 24 h (P < 0.05). There were no difference among three germ line mouse. CONCLUSION: Above 15 micromol/L, 3'-meisoindigo can inhibit the proliferation and externalization function of thymocyte and splenocyte from different germ line mouse, meanwhile the mRNA and protein level of Bcl-2 and CDK2 decrease, the Bax protein expressed increased, the intracellular ROS level increase too.

Review of Analytical Methods to Detect Adulteration in Coffee.

As one of the most consumed beverages in the world, coffee plays many major socioeconomical roles in various regions. Because of the wide coffee varieties available in the marketplaces, and the substantial price gaps between them (e.g., Arabica versus Robusta; speciality versus commodity coffees), coffees are susceptible to intentional or accidental adulteration. Therefore, there is a sustaining interest from the producers and regulatory agents to develop protocols to detect fraudulent practices. In general, strategies to authenticate coffee are based on targeted chemical profile analyses to determine specific markers of adulterants, or nontargeted analyses based on the "fingerprinting" concept. This paper reviews the literature related to chemometric approaches to discriminate coffees based on nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, chromatography, infrared/Raman spectroscopy, and array sensors/indicators. In terms of chemical profiling, the paper focuses on the detection of diterpenes, homostachydrine, phenolic acids, carbohydrates, fatty acids, triacylglycerols, and deoxyribonucleic acid. Finally, the prospects of coffee authentication are discussed.