Persistent Luminescence Nanoplatform for Autofluorescence-Free Tracking of Submicrometer Plastic Particles in Plant.

The uptake of plastic particles by plants and their transport through the food chain make great risks to biota and human health. Therefore, it is important to trace plastic particles in the plant. Traditional fluorescence imaging in plants usually suffers significant autofluorescence background. Here, we report a persistent luminescence nanoplatform for autofluorescence-free imaging and quantitation of submicrometer plastic particles in plant. The nanoplatform was fabricated by doping persistent luminescence nanoparticles (PLNPs) onto polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles. Cr3+-doped zinc gallate PLNP was employed as the dopant for autofluorescence-free imaging due to its persistent luminescence nature. In addition, the Ga element in PLNP was used as a proxy to quantify the PS in the plant by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Thus, the developed nanoplatform allows not only dual-mode autofluorescence-free imaging (persistent luminescence and laser-ablation ICP-MS) but also ICP-MS quantitation for tracking PS in plant. Application of this nanoplatform in a typical plant model Arabidopsis thaliana revealed that PS mainly distributed in the root (>99.45%) and translocated very limited (<0.55%) to the shoot. The developed nanoplatform has great potential for quantitative tracing of submicrometer plastic particles to investigate the environmental process and impact of plastic particles.

Risperidone for the Treatment of Dementia-Related Psychosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Risperidone is one of the atypical antipsychotics that has been used for the treatment of dementia-related psychosis (DRP). However, the findings concerning its efficacy and safety in DRP are contradictory. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to address the effects of risperidone on the alleviation of DRP. We searched Medline via PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and PsychINFO from the inception until May 2024. Appropriate statistical tests were used to test the study hypothesis. RESULTS: The study included 17 articles and 2,311 patients with DRP. Risperidone alleviated DRP with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of 0.355 (95% CI: 0.170-0.541, p = 0.000). The impact of treatment was positively associated with treatment duration (slope p = 0.038) and dose (slope p = 0.000). Six studies (n = 354) reported the data for the effects of risperidone on cognitive function. Analysis showed that risperidone treatment deteriorated cognitive function in DRP patients with an SMD of -0.185 (95% CI: -0.349 to -0.020, p = 0.028). The mean effect size was 0.36 with a 95% CI of 0.17-0.54. However, the true effect size in 95% of all comparable populations fell in the interval of -0.37 to 1.08. This revealed a high heterogeneity among the included publications as the prediction interval showed a wider range of expected treatment effects than CI. CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis provides evidence for the effectiveness of risperidone in the management of DRP. However, because of safety concerns and high data heterogeneity, risperidone use should be individualized for each patient.

Effects of comprehensive nursing intervention on quality of life, Self-efficacy, gastrointestinal reaction and immune function of patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

Objective: To assess the effects of comprehensive nursing intervention on quality of life, self-efficacy, gastrointestinal reaction and immune function of patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: This was a retrospective study. One hundred and twenty patients receiving chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery were randomly divided into the experimental group and the control group(n=60) from January 2021 to January 2023. Patients in the perioperative period, the experimental group were given comprehensive nursing intervention, while those in the control group were given conventional specialist nursing intervention. The differences in quality of life, self-efficacy, gastrointestinal reaction, immune function and patient satisfaction between the two groups were compared and analyzed. Results: After the intervention, the SF-36 scores in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P=0.00), the efficacy indicators were significantly improved compared to the control group(P=0.00); the scores of gastrointestinal symptoms in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group after the intervention(P<0.05). The indexes of CD3+, CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ in the experimental group after the intervention were significantly higher than those in the control group(P=0.00); The patient satisfaction in the experimental group was 100%, which was significantly higher than 92% in the control group, with statistically significant differences(P=0.02). Conclusion: Comprehensive nursing intervention leads to a variety of benefits in the treatment of patients with breast cancer during postoperative chemotherapy, such as relieving patients' gastrointestinal reactions, improving their immune function and quality of life, besides effectively improving their self-efficacy, which is worthy of clinical application.

Statins inhibit protein kinase D (PKD) activation in intestinal cells and prevent PKD1-induced growth of murine enteroids.

We examined the impact of statins on protein kinase D (PKD) activation by G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) agonists. Treatment of intestinal IEC-18 cells with cerivastatin inhibited PKD autophosphorylation at Ser916 induced by angiotensin II (ANG II) or vasopressin in a dose-dependent manner with half-maximal inhibition at 0.2 µM. Cerivastatin treatment inhibited PKD activation stimulated by these agonists for different times (5-60 min) and blunted HDAC5 phosphorylation, a substrate of PKD. Other lipophilic statins, including simvastatin, atorvastatin, and fluvastatin also prevented PKD activation in a dose-dependent manner. Using IEC-18 cell lines expressing PKD1 tagged with EGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein), cerivastatin or simvastatin blocked GPCR-mediated PKD1-EGFP translocation to the plasma membrane and its subsequent nuclear accumulation. Similar results were obtained in IEC-18 cells expressing PKD3-EGFP. Mechanistically, statins inhibited agonist-dependent PKD activation rather than acting directly on PKD catalytic activity since exposure to cerivastatin or simvastatin did not impair PKD autophosphorylation or PKD1-EGFP membrane translocation in response to phorbol dibutyrate, which bypasses GPCRs and directly stimulates PKC and PKD. Furthermore, cerivastatin did not inhibit recombinant PKD activity determined via an in vitro kinase assay. Using enteroids generated from intestinal crypt-derived epithelial cells from PKD1 transgenic mice as a model of intestinal regeneration, we show that statins oppose PKD1-mediated increase in enteroid area, complexity (number of crypt-like buds), and DNA synthesis. Our results revealed a previously unappreciated inhibitory effect of statins on receptor-mediated PKD activation and in opposing the growth-promoting effects of PKD1 on intestinal epithelial cells.

Genetic factors define CPO and CLO subtypes of nonsyndromicorofacial cleft.

Nonsyndromic orofacial cleft (NSOFC) is a severe birth defect that occurs early in embryonic development and includes the subtypes cleft palate only (CPO), cleft lip only (CLO) and cleft lip with cleft palate (CLP). Given a lack of specific genetic factor analysis for CPO and CLO, the present study aimed to dissect the landscape of genetic factors underlying the pathogenesis of these two subtypes using 6,986 cases and 10,165 controls. By combining a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for specific subtypes of CPO and CLO, as well as functional gene network and ontology pathway analysis, we identified 18 genes/loci that surpassed genome-wide significance (P < 5 × 10-8) responsible for NSOFC, including nine for CPO, seven for CLO, two for both conditions and four that contribute to the CLP subtype. Among these 18 genes/loci, 14 are novel and identified in this study and 12 contain developmental transcription factors (TFs), suggesting that TFs are the key factors for the pathogenesis of NSOFC subtypes. Interestingly, we observed an opposite effect of the genetic variants in the IRF6 gene for CPO and CLO. Moreover, the gene expression dosage effect of IRF6 with two different alleles at the same single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) plays important roles in driving CPO or CLO. In addition, PAX9 is a key TF for CPO. Our findings define subtypes of NSOFC using genetic factors and their functional ontologies and provide a clue to improve their diagnosis and treatment in the future.

Graphene Quantum Dots Disrupt Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation by Interfering with the Methylation Level of Sox2.

The tremendous potential for graphene quantum dots (GQDs) in biomedical applications has led to growing concerns of their health risks in human beings. However, present studies mainly focused on oxidative stress, apoptosis, and other general toxicity effects; the knowledge on the developmental toxicity and the related regulatory mechanisms is still far from sufficient. Our study revealed the development retardation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) caused by GQDs with a novel DNA methylation epigenetic mechanism. Specifically, GQDs were internalized into cells mainly via energy-dependent endocytosis, and a significant fraction of internalized GQDs remained in the cells even after a 48-h clearance period. Albeit with unobservable cytotoxicity or any influences on cell pluripotency, significant retardation was found in the in vitro differentiation of the mESCs into embryoid bodies (EBs) with the upregulation of Sox2 levels in GQD pretreatment groups. Importantly, this effect could be contributed by GQD-induced inhibition in CpG methylation of Sox2 through altering methyltransferase and demethyltransferase transcriptional expressions, and the demethyltransferase inhibitor, bobcat339 hydrochloride, reduced GQD-induced upregulation of Sox2. The current study first demonstrated that GQDs compromised the differentiation program of the mESCs, potentially causing development retardation. Exposure to this nanomaterial during gestation or early developmental period would cause adverse health risks and is worthy of more attention.

Unambiguous Acquisition/Tracking Technique Based on Sub-Correlation Functions for GNSS Sine-BOC Signals.

The autocorrelation function (ACF) of the Binary Offset Carrier modulation (BOC) signal for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has multiple peaks, ambiguity is easily generated during the synchronization of the baseband signal. Some methods have been proposed to remove the ambiguity, but the performance is not suitable for high-order BOC signals or does not maintain narrow correlation characteristics. This paper proposes a sub-function reconstruction synchronization algorithm to solve this problem, of which the key is to design a new local auxiliary code: the local Pseudo-Random Noise (PRN) code is divided into several new codes with different delays. The auxiliary code performs a coherent integration operation with the received signal. Then, a correlation function without any positive side peaks is obtained by multiplying the two correlation results to make the acquisition/tracking completely unambiguous. The paper gives a design scheme of navigation signal acquisition/tracking and deduces the theoretical analysis of detection performance. The phase discrimination function is provided. The performance of the method is analyzed from both theoretical and simulation aspects. Compared with the Binary phase shift keying-like (BPSK-LIKE) method, Subcarrier Phase Cancellation (SCPC) method and the Autocorrelation Side-Peak Cancellation Technique (ASPeCT) method, the proposed method has the best detection probability for the acquisition, which is 0.5 dB-Hz better than ASPeCT. For tracking, the proposed method performs best in terms of phase-detection curve, anti-multipath performance, and anti-noise performance. For high-order BOC signals, the SRSA technique successfully removes the false lock points, and there is only one multipath error envelope, and the code tracking error is almost the same as the ASPeCT method.

Effects of Sodium Valproate Combined with Lamotrigine on Quality of Life and Serum Inflammatory Factors in Patients with Poststroke Secondary Epilepsy.

BACKGROUND: We sought to explore the effects of sodium valproate combined with lamotrigine on quality of life and serum inflammatory factors in patients with poststroke secondary epilepsy. METHODS: A total of 145 patients with post-stroke secondary epilepsy admitted to our hospital from January 2017 to June 2018 were collected: 76 treated with sodium valproate combined with lamotrigine (study group) and 69 patients treated with sodium valproate alone (control group). The levels of serum high-mobility group protein B1, matrix metalloproteinase 9, and interleukin 6 were detected before and after treatment, and the therapeutic efficacy and adverse reactions were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: The total effective rate of the study group was higher than that of the control group. Both groups decreased in epileptiform discharges or in the number of involved leads after treatment, with the results of the study group being lower than those of the control group. The quality of life scores in both groups was increased after treatment, albeit the scores of the study group were higher than those of the control group. In terms of the levels of serum inflammatory factors, the 2 groups were reduced after treatment; the levels of the study group were lower than those of the control group. Regarding the incidence of adverse reactions, no significant difference was seen between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Sodium valproate combined with lamotrigine has better clinical efficacy and higher safety in the treatment of poststroke secondary epilepsy and is able to reduce the expression levels of serum inflammatory factors.

Efficient Prodrug Activator Gene Therapy by Retroviral Replicating Vectors Prolongs Survival in an Immune-Competent Intracerebral Glioma Model.

Prodrug activator gene therapy mediated by murine leukemia virus (MLV)-based retroviral replicating vectors (RRV) was previously shown to be highly effective in killing glioma cells both in culture and in vivo. To avoid receptor interference and enable dual vector co-infection with MLV-RRV, we have developed another RRV based on gibbon ape leukemia virus (GALV) that also shows robust replicative spread in a wide variety of tumor cells. We evaluated the potential of GALV-based RRV as a cancer therapeutic agent by incorporating yeast cytosine deaminase (CD) and E. coli nitroreductase (NTR) prodrug activator genes into the vector. The expression of CD and NTR genes from GALV-RRV achieved highly efficient delivery of these prodrug activator genes to RG-2 glioma cells, resulting in enhanced cytotoxicity after administering their respective prodrugs 5-fluorocytosine and CB1954 in vitro. In an immune-competent intracerebral RG-2 glioma model, GALV-mediated CD and NTR gene therapy both significantly suppressed tumor growth with CB1954 administration after a single injection of vector supernatant. However, NTR showed greater potency than CD, with control animals receiving GALV-NTR vector alone (i.e., without CB1954 prodrug) showing extensive tumor growth with a median survival time of 17.5 days, while animals receiving GALV-NTR and CB1954 showed significantly prolonged survival with a median survival time of 30 days. In conclusion, GALV-RRV enabled high-efficiency gene transfer and persistent expression of NTR, resulting in efficient cell killing, suppression of tumor growth, and prolonged survival upon CB1954 administration. This validates the use of therapeutic strategies employing this prodrug activator gene to arm GALV-RRV, and opens the door to the possibility of future combination gene therapy with CD-armed MLV-RRV, as the latter vector is currently being evaluated in clinical trials.

Yishenhuoxue formula regulates TGF-ß/Smad signal transduction to protect rats against Diabetic kidney disease injury.

TGF-ß signal pathway activation is vital in the pathogenesis of DKD. We aim to investigate the role of Yishenhuoxue formula on TGF-ß/Smad signal transduction in DKD rats. 60 male adult Wistar rats were enrolled and randomly allocated into four groups: N group, M group (given STZ 60mg/kg, ip), H group (given Yishenhuoxue formula 1.0g/kg/day, ig) and L group (given Yishenhuoxue formula 0.5g/kg/day, ig). The levels of BW, 24h UV, SCr, UCr, mALB were measured after 8 weeks treatment, while the levels of KW/BW index, CCr and UAER were calculated by relevant formula. The rats' left kidneys were harvested to detect histological changes by PAS staining and right kidneys were harvested to detect the levels of TGF-ß, Smad2/3, phosphorylated Smad 2/3, Smad 7 and CTGF by western blot analysis. We found that Yishenhuoxue formula treatment can protect kidneys from DKD injury, which is illustrated with following criteria: 1) a significant decrement in KW/BW index, 24h UV, SCr, mALB and UAER, while a significant increment in BW, UCr, CCr (p<0.05 vs. M group); 2) minor and segmental changes as slight expansion of the glomerular basement membrane compared with M group; 3) an apparent decrease in levels of TGF-ß1, phosphorylated Smad 2/3 and CTGF, while an apparent increase in levels of Smad 2/3 and Smad7 compared with M group (p<0.05). The studies confirm that Yishenhuoxue formula has strong inhibitory effect on TGF-ß/Smad signal transduction in DKD rats' kidneys by decreasing expression of TGF-ß1, weakening of Smad 2/3 phosphorylation and increasing expression of Smad 7.

Neuro-Protective Role of Metformin in Patients with Acute Stroke and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus via AMPK/Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) Signaling Pathway and Oxidative Stress.

BACKGROUND We investigated the effects of metformin on neurological function and oxidative stress in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with acute stroke. MATERIAL AND METHODS We randomly assigned 80 acute stroke patients to 2 groups: the metformin combined group and the insulin group. Each group had 40 patients and all were treated with standard stroke treatment. The indexes of nervous functional score and oxidative stress were measured before and 2 weeks after treatment. The primary fetal rat hippocampal neurons were gradually matured after 7 days of culture, and divided into the control group (Con), the oxygen-glucose deprivation model group (Mod), and the metformin group (Met). In the Met group, 10 mmol/L metformin was added, and the Con group and the Mod group received equal volumes of cell culture fluid. Cell viability, cell apoptosis rate, and the expression of Bax, Bcl-2, AMPK, pAMPK and mTOR were detected; MDA content and SOD activity were also detected. RESULTS Before treatment, there was no difference in the metrical indexes between the 2 groups. After treatment, the treatment group was better than the control group in neurological function scores and multiple oxidative stress-related indicators. The experimental results of primary fetal rat hippocampal neuronal cells suggest that this mechanism of improvement is closely related to the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS Metformin can improve the neurological function and oxidative stress status of acute stroke patients with type 2 diabetes, and its mechanism may be related to the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway and oxidative stress.

[Analysis of MYOC gene variants among sporadic patients with primary open-angle glaucoma].

OBJECTIVE: To screen for MYOC gene variants among sporadic patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). METHODS: For 398 patients with POAG, Sanger sequencing was applied to detect potential variants of the MYOC gene. RESULTS: Eight patients (2.0%) were found to harbor variations of the MYOC gene. These included five types of variants, among which c.667C>T (p.Pro223Ser) and c.1138G>T (p.Asp380Tyr) were novel. c.382C>T (p.Arg128Trp), c.1109C>T(p.Pro370Leu) and c.1130C>A (p.Thr377Lys) were previously associated with POAG. Alignment of amino acid sequences of MYOC proteins of various species revealed that the two novel variants have occurred at highly conserved positions. c.1138G>T was predicted to be possible pathogenic by Bioinformatic analysis. CONCLUSION: Two novel variants of the MYOC gene were detected among sporadic POAG patients, which enriched its variant spectrum.

Association of coding and UTR variants in the known regions with wet age-related macular degeneration in Han Chinese population.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause worldwide of severe visual impairment among people older than 55 years of age. This study aimed to investigate the genetic association between coding and untranslated region (UTR) variants in previously reported loci and exudative age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) in a Han Chinese population. Using our previously published whole exome sequencing dataset of 349 wet AMD patients and 1253 controls, we searched for associations between coding and UTR variants of the 72 genes located within the 47 reported wet AMD loci regions. From these, 25 variants in 18 of the 72 genes with P < 10 × 10-3 were selected for the first replication of Sequenom mass-array genotyping in 885 wet AMD subjects and 562 controls. Next, four SNPs were selected for further validation by SNaPshot genotyping in a third Chinese cohort with 456 wet AMD subjects and 211 controls. As a result, we identified two new potential coding and UTR variant SNPs (rs189132250 in BBX located in 3q12.1 and rs144351944 in FILIP1L located in 3q12.1) that showed weak associations with wet AMD in the Han Chinese population. These findings provide new information regarding the coding and UTR variants of the known wet AMD loci in the studied Chinese cohort.

Different Crystal Form Titania Supported Ruthenium Nanoparticles for Liquid Phase Hydrodeoxygenation of Guaiacol.

Titania supported Ruthenium-based catalysts were prepared for liquid phase hydrodeoxygenation of guaiacol to cyclohexanol. The catalytic performance is affected by the different crystal forms of titania supports. Anatase and rutile titania supported catalyst 5%Ru/a-r-TiO2 presents higher BET surface area, better dispersion of Ru particles with smaller particle size of 3-4 nm, more acidic centers, and more Ruδ+ located at the boundary between anatase titania and rutile titania. Hence, 5%Ru/a-r-TiO2 gives the best catalytic performance of 95.33% conversion of guaiacol and 79.23% selectivity to cyclohexanol, other products mainly include cyclohexane, benzene, cyclohexanone and 1,2-cyclohexanediol. Based on the results of this work, the possible reaction path for guaiacol hydrodeoxygenation was proposed.

Antiviral effects and mechanisms of Yinhuapinggan granule against H1N1 influenza virus infection in RAW264.7 cells.

Yinhuapinggan granule (YHPG), a modified prescription based on Ma-Huang-Tang (MHT), is used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat influenza, cough, and viral pneumonia. In this study, we investigated the antiviral effects of YHPG by means of pre-, post-, and co-treatment, and its underlying mechanisms on regulating the levels of inflammatory-related cytokines, modulating the mRNA expressions of interferon-stimulated genes in influenza virus-infected murine macrophage cells (RAW264.7), and evaluating the protein expressions of key effectors in the Type I IFN and pattern recognition receptor (PRRs) signaling pathways. The results showed that YHPG markedly inhibited influenza virus (IFV) replication in pre-, post- and co-treatment assay, especially in post-treatment assay. Antiviral mechanisms studies revealed that YHPG (500 and 250 µg/mL) significantly up-regulated levels of IFN-ß, IFN-stimulated genes (Mx-1, ISG-15 and ISG-56) compared with the IFV control group, while the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly down-regulated. Furthermore, western blot analysis results revealed that the protein expressions of the phosphorylated forms of TBK1, IRF3, ERK1/2, P38 MAPK and NF-κB p65 were significantly down-regulated in RAW264.7 cells with the YHPG (500 and 250 µg/mL) treatment, while the expression of the phosphorylated form of STAT1 was significantly enhanced. Based on these results, YHPG had antiviral effects in IFV-infected RAW264.7 cells, which might be associated with regulation of the inflammatory cytokines production, evaluation of the levels of IFN-stimulated genes, and modulation of the protein expressions of key effectors in the Type I IFN and PRRs signaling pathways.

Tailored Organic Electrode Material Compatible with Sulfide Electrolyte for Stable All-Solid-State Sodium Batteries.

All-solid-state sodium batteries (ASSSBs) with nonflammable electrolytes and ubiquitous sodium resource are a promising solution to the safety and cost concerns for lithium-ion batteries. However, the intrinsic mismatch between low anodic decomposition potential of superionic sulfide electrolytes and high operating potentials of sodium-ion cathodes leads to a volatile cathode-electrolyte interface and undesirable cell performance. Here we report a high-capacity organic cathode, Na4 C6 O6 , that is chemically and electrochemically compatible with sulfide electrolytes. A bulk-type ASSSB shows high specific capacity (184 mAh g-1 ) and one of the highest specific energies (395 Wh kg-1 ) among intercalation compound-based ASSSBs. The capacity retentions of 76 % after 100 cycles at 0.1 C and 70 % after 400 cycles at 0.2 C represent the record stability for ASSSBs. Additionally, Na4 C6 O6 functions as a capable anode material, enabling a symmetric all-organic ASSSB with Na4 C6 O6 as both cathode and anode materials.

Distribution, Bioaccumulation, Trophic Transfer, and Influences of CeO2 Nanoparticles in a Constructed Aquatic Food Web.

In view of the final destination of nanomaterials, the water system would be an important sink. However, the environmental behavior of nanomaterials is rather confusing due to the complexity of the real environment. In this study, a freshwater ecosystem, including water, sediment, water lettuce, water silk, Asian clams, snails, water fleas, Japanese medaka, and Yamato shrimp, was constructed to study the distribution, bioaccumulation, and potential impacts of CeO2 nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) via long-term exposure. The results demonstrated most of the CeO2 NPs deposited in the sediment (88.7%) when the partition approached to the constant 30 days later. The bioaccumulated Ce in six tested biota species was negatively correlated with its trophic level, showing no biomagnification of CeO2 NPs through this food web. CeO2 NP exposure induced visual abnormalities in hydrophytes, including chlorophyll loss in water silk and water lettuce, ultrastructural changes in pyrenoids of water silk, and root elongation in water lettuce. The generation of hydroxyl radical (·OH) and cell-wall loosening induced by CeO2 NP exposure might mediate the root growth in water lettuce. The findings on the environmental behavior of CeO2 NPs in water system have provided useful information on the risk assessment of nanomaterials.

Ginkgolide A Ameliorates LPS-Induced Inflammatory Responses In Vitro and In Vivo.

Ginkgolide A (GA) is a natural compound isolated from Ginkgo biloba and has been used to treat cardiovascular diseases and diabetic vascular complications. However, only a few studies have been conducted on the anti-inflammatory effects of GA. In particular, no related reports have been published in a common inflammation model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages, and the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of GA have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we extensively investigated the anti-inflammatory potential of GA in vitro and in vivo. We showed that GA could suppress the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators (cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and nitric oxide (NO) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1ß) in LPS-treated mouse peritoneal macrophages, mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells, and differentiated human monocytes (dTHP-1) in vitro. These effects were partially carried out via downregulating Nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) (p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), but not c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and activating the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway also seems to be important. Consistently, GA was also shown to inhibit the LPS-stimulated release of TNF-α and IL-6 in mice. Taken together, these findings suggest that GA can serve as an effective inflammatory inhibitor in vitro and in vivo.

A nonlinear competitive model of the prostate tumor growth under intermittent androgen suppression.

Hormone suppression has been the primary modality of treatment for prostate cancer. However long-term androgen deprivation may induce androgen-independent (AI) recurrence. Intermittent androgen suppression (IAS) is a potential way to delay or avoid the AI relapse. Mathematical models of tumor growth and treatment are simple while they are capable of capturing the essence of complicated interactions. Game theory models have analyzed that tumor cells can enhance their fitness by adopting genetically determined survival strategies. In this paper, we consider the survival strategies as the competitive advantage of tumor cells and propose a new model to mimic the prostate tumor growth in IAS therapy. Then we investigate the competition effect in tumor development by numerical simulations. The results indicate that successfully IAS-controlled states can be achieved even though the net growth rate of AI cells is positive for any androgen level. There is crucial difference between the previous models and the new one in the phase diagram of successful and unsuccessful tumor control by IAS administration, which means that the suggestions from the models for medication can be different. Furthermore we introduce quadratic logistic terms to the competition model to simulate the tumor growth in the environment with a finite carrying capacity considering the nutrients or inhibitors. The simulations show that the tumor growth can reach an equilibrium state or an oscillatory state with the net growth rate of AI cells being androgen independent. Our results suggest that the competition and the restraint of a limited environment can enhance the possibility of relapse prevention.

A comparative study: classification vs. user-based collaborative filtering for clinical prediction.

BACKGROUND: Recommender systems have shown tremendous value for the prediction of personalized item recommendations for individuals in a variety of settings (e.g., marketing, e-commerce, etc.). User-based collaborative filtering is a popular recommender system, which leverages an individuals' prior satisfaction with items, as well as the satisfaction of individuals that are "similar". Recently, there have been applications of collaborative filtering based recommender systems for clinical risk prediction. In these applications, individuals represent patients, and items represent clinical data, which includes an outcome. METHODS: Application of recommender systems to a problem of this type requires the recasting a supervised learning problem as unsupervised. The rationale is that patients with similar clinical features carry a similar disease risk. As the "Big Data" era progresses, it is likely that approaches of this type will be reached for as biomedical data continues to grow in both size and complexity (e.g., electronic health records). In the present study, we set out to understand and assess the performance of recommender systems in a controlled yet realistic setting. User-based collaborative filtering recommender systems are compared to logistic regression and random forests with different types of imputation and varying amounts of missingness on four different publicly available medical data sets: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2011-2012 on Obesity), Study to Understand Prognoses Preferences Outcomes and Risks of Treatment (SUPPORT), chronic kidney disease, and dermatology data. We also examined performance using simulated data with observations that are Missing At Random (MAR) or Missing Completely At Random (MCAR) under various degrees of missingness and levels of class imbalance in the response variable. RESULTS: Our results demonstrate that user-based collaborative filtering is consistently inferior to logistic regression and random forests with different imputations on real and simulated data. The results warrant caution for the collaborative filtering for the purpose of clinical risk prediction when traditional classification is feasible and practical. CONCLUSIONS: CF may not be desirable in datasets where classification is an acceptable alternative. We describe some natural applications related to "Big Data" where CF would be preferred and conclude with some insights as to why caution may be warranted in this context.