The interaction between selenium and cadmium in the soil-rice-human continuum in an area with high geological background of selenium and cadmium.

Natural selenium (Se)-rich areas in China are generally characterized by high geological background of cadmium (Cd). However, the interaction between Se and Cd in the soil-rice-human continuum in such areas remains elusive. The concentrations, bioaccessibilities, and biomarkers of Se and Cd in a typical Se-Cd rich area were determined through chemical analysis, in vitro digestion model and cross-sectional study, respectively. The results showed that the molar ratio of available Se/Cd in the soil was averaged at 0.55 and soil Se did not reduce Cd accumulation and transportation in rice. Se bioaccessibility increased from the gastric phase to the intestinal phase, but the opposite was the case for Cd bioaccessibility. Moreover, bioaccessible concentration of Cd was positively correlated to corresponding total concentration in rice but negatively associated with the logarithm of molar ratio of Se/Cd. The risk of Cd-induced nephrotoxicity for the exposure group was not higher than the reference group, which could be ascribed to the mitigative effect of Se. Males and elders were at higher risk of Cd-induced injury owing to higher urinary Cd (U-Cd) and ß2-microglobulin (U-ß2-MG), and lower urinary Se (U-Se). Our results suggested that Cd-induced health risk should be assessed from a soil-rice-human perspective and the interaction between Se and Cd should be taken into account.

The mitohormetic response as part of the cytoprotection mechanism of berberine : Berberine induces mitohormesis and mechanisms.

It was well-known that Berberine, a major bioactive compound extracted from natural plants Coptis chinensis, has anti-diabetic effects for decades in china. Other types of pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, hypolipidemic, and anti-cancer effects, have also been examined. At cellular level, these pharmacological activities were mostly an inhibitory effect. However, the cytoprotective effect of berberine was also observed in various types of cells, such as neurons, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and ß-cells. The paradoxical result may be closely associated with characteristics and distribution of berberine within cells, and they can be explained mechanically by mitohormesis, one particular form of hormesis. Here, we reviewed the mitohormetic response and assessed the berberine-induced effects and the possible signaling pathway involved. These findings may contribute to better clinical applications of berberine and indicate that some mitochondria-targeted conventional drugs should be considered carefully in clinical application.

Ultrasensitive amplification-free detection of protein kinase based on catalyzed assembly and enumeration of gold nanoparticles.

A single-particle enumeration method based on phosphorylation-directed in situ assembly of gold nanoparticles is developed for the ultrasensitive sensing of cellular protein kinase A activity. In comparison to existing strategies, the proposed new method demonstrates five orders of linear range and improves the detection limit up to 10-to-1000 fold without the involvement of target amplification.

Selenium (Se) Does Not Reduce Cadmium (Cd) Uptake and Translocation in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) in Naturally Occurred Se-Rich Paddy Fields with a High Geological Background of Cd.

This study examined the selenium (Se) and cadmium (Cd) uptake by rice from soil and analyzed the relationship between Se and Cd in naturally occurred Se-rich paddy fields with a high geological background of Cd. Significant correlations were observed between soil Se and plant biomass Se, but not between soil Cd and plant biomass Cd. High concentrations of Cd were detected in rice plants and particularly in rice grains, suggesting potential health risks to human. Contrary to results from other previous studies, our results showed that high soil Se did not reduce Cd uptake by rice, although it decreased the availability of Cd in soil. Rather, soil Se and internal Se pool in rice were positively correlated to the transfer of Cd from root to straw. The effect of Se on the uptake and translocation of Cd in rice in field is therefore different from those in pot experiments.

Mutational signatures and the genomic landscape of betel quid chewing-associated tongue carcinoma.

Our study presents the genetic landscape betel quid chewing-associated tongue carcinomas (BQ-TCs). We compared the genetic landscape and mutational signatures of 15 BQ-TCs, five nonbetel quid chewing-associated tongue carcinomas (nBQ-TCs), and 82 tongue carcinomas in general population from the TCGA (TCGA-TCs) project. The highlights of this research mainly include: (a) The genetic landscape of BQ-TC was characterized with frequent mutations in RASA1 gene and in CpG islands throughout the genome. (b) The BQ-TC had a distinct mutational signature from that of nBQ-TC and tongue carcinomas in the general population, and this signature was associated with the mutations in RASA1 and in CpG islands. (c) Our study indicates that betel quid (BQ) chewing classifies a distinct group of tongue carcinoma. The BQ chewing might not contribute to the tumorigenesis of tongue carcinomas as a mutagen.

Ginkgolide B and bilobalide ameliorate neural cell apoptosis in α-synuclein aggregates.

The accumulation of aggregated forms of the α-Synuclein (α-Syn) is associated with the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD), a chronic progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Extensive evidences have shown the promising effects of Ginkgo biloba consumption on motor activity after PD. However, the mechanisms underline the α-Syn-induced cell damage and whether ginkgolides exert neuroprotection against this injury are unclear. Here we showed that aggregated recombinant human α-Syn, but not α-Syn monomers, triggered cell injury in cultured human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y in an apoptosis way by using flow cytometry and western blot assay. Moreover, pre-treatment with the Ginkgolide B (GB) or Bilobalide (BB) protected SH-SY5Y cells against α-Syn-induced cell viability decreases, and reduced cell apoptosis after aggregated α-Syn stimulation. Together, we firstly find that aggregated α-Syn induced cell apoptosis and GB and BB may attenuate aggregated α-Syn-induced cell apoptosis, which gives us an insight into the novel therapy for PD in future.

Anhydrous reverse micelle nanoparticles: new strategy to overcome sedimentation instability of peptide-containing pressurized metered-dose inhalers.

The objective of this study was to develop a novel anhydrous reverse micelle nanoparticles (ARM-NPs) system to overcome the sedimentation instability of peptide-containing pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs). A bottom-up method was utilized to fabricate ARM-NPs. Tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA)/water system, freeze-drying and lipid inversion method were successively used to produce the ARM-NPs for pMDI. Various characteristics of ARM-NPs were investigated including particle size, morphology, secondary structure of the peptide drug, aerosolization properties and storage stability. As revealed by the results, ARM-NPs with spherical shape possessed 147.7 ± 2.0 nm of particle size with 0.152 ± 0.021 PdI. The ARM-NPs for pMDI had satisfactory fine particle fraction (FPF) value of 46.99 ± 1.33%, while the secondary structure of the peptide drug was unchanged. Stability tests showed no pronounced sedimentation instability for over 12 weeks at 4-6 °C. Furthermore, a hypothesis was raised to explain the formation mechanism of ARM-NPs, which was verified by the differential scanning calorimetry analysis. The lecithin employed in the reverse micelle vesicles could serve as a steric barrier between peptide drugs and bulk propellant, which prevented the instability of peptide drugs in hydrophobic environment. Homogenous particle size could avoid Ostwald ripening phenomenon of particles in pMDIs. It was concluded that the ARM-NPs for pMDI could successfully overcome sedimentation instability by the steric barrier effect and homogeneous particle size.

Efficacy evaluation of a pollen blocker cream against dust-mite allergy: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial.

OBJECTIVE: To further evaluate the efficacy and safety of a pollen blocker cream against dust-mite allergy. METHODS: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial was conducted in a Chinese population. Patients diagnosed with perennial allergic rhinitis, sensitive to dust-mite allergy including Dermatophagoides farinae and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus were randomly allocated to receive a pollen blocker cream or placebo, which was applied and spread evenly to the lower internal nose region three times daily for a total of 30 days. The primary outcome measurements for efficacy were total nasal symptom score (TNSS) and individual nasal symptom score (iNSS). Adverse events were also monitored. RESULTS: After application of a pollen blocker, the mean TNSS decreased from 23.1 to 13.8, the decrease of the pollen blocker group (9.3) was highly significant compared with the placebo group (5.2; p < 0.001). Similarly, the decreases in iNSSs (rhinorrhea, congestion, sneezing, and itching) between the pollen blocker group and the placebo group were also significant (p < 0.05). In addition, in adults, the pollen blocker led to a remarkably significant decrease in TNSS (9.5) compared with placebo (5.4; p < 0.001); in children, the pollen blocker led to a significant decrease in TNSS (8.6) compared with placebo (4.8; p < 0.05). No statistical difference was found in the incidence of adverse events between the two groups (p > 0.05), and no severe systematic reactions were observed. CONCLUSION: Pollen Blocker is a safe and effective alternative to the drugs for treatment of AR, especially for Chinese people allergic to dust-mite allergy.

Development and evaluation of the Nurotron 26-electrode cochlear implant system.

Although the cochlear implant has been widely acknowledged as the most successful neural prosthesis, only a fraction of hearing-impaired people who can potentially benefit from a cochlear implant have actually received one due to its limited awareness, accessibility, and affordability. To help overcome these limitations, a 26-electrode cochlear implant has been developed to receive China's Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) approval in 2011 and Conformité Européenne (CE) Marking in 2012. The present article describes design philosophy, system specification, and technical verification of the Nurotron device, which includes advanced digital signal processing and 4 current sources with multiple amplitude resolutions that not only are compatible with perceptual capability but also allow interleaved or simultaneous stimulation. The article also presents 3-year longitudinal evaluation data from 60 human subjects who have received the Nurotron device. The objective measures show that electrode impedance decreased within the first month of device use, but was stable until a slight increase at the end of two years. The subjective loudness measures show that electric stimulation threshold was stable while the maximal comfort level increased over the 3 years. Mandarin sentence recognition increased from the pre-surgical 0%-correct score to a plateau of about 80% correct with 6-month use of the device. Both indirect and direct comparisons indicate indistinguishable performance differences between the Nurotron system and other commercially available devices. The present 26-electrode cochlear implant has already helped to lower the price of cochlear implantation in China and will likely contribute to increased cochlear implant access and success in the rest of the world. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled .

[Quantitative analysis of four active constituents in Tibetan herb Gymnadenia conopsea by high-performance liquid chromatography].

OBJECTIVE: To develop a high performance liquid chromatography method for simultaneous determination of tour active constituents, dactylorhin B, loroglossin, dactylorhin A, militarine present in a Tibetan herb Gymnadenia conopsea. METHOD: The analysiswas achieved on a Pravil C18 column (4.6 mm x 150 mm, 5 microm) eluted with the mobile phases of methanol (A)-water (B) in gradient elution. The initial condition was 15% A, chsnhrf to 20% A in 10 min, to 45% A in 10 min, to 70% A in 15 min. The detection wavelength was set at 222 nm. The flow rate was 0.7 mL x min(-1). Orthogonal test was adopted to optimize extraction process of four active compounds from Gymnadenia conopsea. RESULT: The assay displayed good linearity over the concentration ranges of 0.20-4.05 microg (r = 0.9999), 0.10-5.11 micro g (r = 0.9999), 0.10-5.11 microg (r = 0.9999) and 0.09-1.79 microg (r = 0.9999), respectively. The average recoveries (n=9) were 99.19%, 99.16%, 99.52% and 99.00% for dactylorhin B, loroglossin, dactylorhin A and militarine respectively. CONCLUSION: The method is simple, sensitive, reliable and reproducible which can be used for the quality study of Gymnadenia conopsea.

[Determination of two main components in bark of Paeonia suffruticosa by HPLC].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a HPLC method for determination two constituents in bark of Paeonia Suffuticosa. METHOD: The reversed phase HPLC system consisting of an Alltima ODS column (4.6 mm x 150 mm, 5 microm) and a mixture of water-THF-methanol-HAc (60:20:20:0.05) as the mobile phase was used. The flow rate was 0.8 mL x min(-1) and UV detection was set at 274 nm. RESULT: The assay displayed good linearity over the concentration ranges of 0.06-1.0 microg (r = 0.999 9, gallic acid) and 0.16-2.58 microg (r = 0.999 9, paeonol) respectively. The average recoveries (n = 9) of gallic acid and paeonol were 98.6% (RSD = 3.0%), 98.2% (RSD = 2.5%), respectively. The samples were extracted with methanol for 24 h bu maceration. CONCLUSION: The method is simple, accurate and can be used for the quality study of bark of P. suffruticosa.