YWHAZ variation causes intellectual disability and global developmental delay with brain malformation.

YWHAZ encodes an adapter protein 14-3-3ζ, which is involved in many signaling pathways that control cellular proliferation, migration and differentiation. It has not been definitely correlated to any phenotype in OMIM. To investigate the role of YWHAZ gene in intellectual disability and global developmental delay, we conducted whole-exon sequencing in all of the available members from a large three-generation family and we discovered that a novel variant of the YWHAZ gene was associated with intellectual disability and global developmental delay. This variant is a missense mutation of YWHAZ, p.Lys49Asn/c.147A > T, which was found in all affected members but not found in other unaffected members. We also conducted computational modeling and knockdown/knockin with Drosophila to confirm the role of the YWHAZ variant in intellectual disability. Computational modeling showed that the binding energy was increased in the mutated protein combining with the ligand indicating that the c147A > T variation was a loss-of-function variant. Cognitive defects and mushroom body morphological abnormalities were observed in YWHAZ c.147A > T knockin flies. The YWHAZ knockdown flies also manifested serious cognitive defects with hyperactivity behaviors, which is consistent with the clinical features. Our clinical and experimental results consistently suggested that YWHAZ was a novel intellectual disability pathogenic gene.

G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 promotes peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer through nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide kinase 1-mediated redox modulation.

Adipose tissue is the second most important site of estrogen production, where androgens are converted into estrogen by aromatase. While gastric cancer patients often develop adipocyte-rich peritoneal metastasis, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we identified the G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER1) as a promoter of gastric cancer peritoneal metastasis. Functional in vitro studies revealed that ß-Estradiol (E2) or the GPER1 agonist G1 inhibited anoikis in gastric cancer cells. Additionally, genetic overexpression or knockout of GPER1 significantly inhibited or enhanced gastric cancer cell anoikis in vitro and peritoneal metastasis in vivo, respectively. Mechanically, GPER1 knockout disrupted the NADPH pool and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Conversely, overexpression of GPER1 had the opposite effects. GPER1 suppressed nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide kinase 1(NADK1) ubiquitination and promoted its phosphorylation, which were responsible for the elevated expression of NADK1 at protein levels and activity, respectively. Moreover, genetic inhibition of NADK1 disrupted NADPH and redox homeostasis, leading to high levels of ROS and significant anoikis, which inhibited lung and peritoneal metastasis in cell-based xenograft models. In summary, our study suggests that inhibiting GPER1-mediated NADK1 activity and its ubiquitination may be a promising therapeutic strategy for peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer.

Nanoparticles and bone microenvironment: a comprehensive review for malignant bone tumor diagnosis and treatment.

Malignant bone tumors, which are difficult to treat with current clinical strategies, originate from bone tissues and can be classified into primary and secondary types. Due to the specificity of the bone microenvironment, the results of traditional means of treating bone tumors are often unsatisfactory, so there is an urgent need to develop new treatments for malignant bone tumors. Recently, nanoparticle-based approaches have shown great potential in diagnosis and treatment. Nanoparticles (NPs) have gained significant attention due to their versatility, making them highly suitable for applications in bone tissue engineering, advanced imaging techniques, and targeted drug delivery. For diagnosis, NPs enhance imaging contrast and sensitivity by integrating targeting ligands, which significantly improve the specific recognition and localization of tumor cells for early detection. For treatment, NPs enable targeted drug delivery, increasing drug accumulation at tumor sites while reducing systemic toxicity. In conclusion, understanding bone microenvironment and using the unique properties of NPs holds great promise in improving disease management, enhancing treatment outcomes, and ultimately improving the quality of life for patients with malignant bone tumors. Further research and development will undoubtedly contribute to the advancement of personalized medicine in the field of bone oncology.

Effect of blastomere cell number on ART outcome of fresh single day 3 embryo transfer.

PURPOSE: Explore the effect of blastomere cell number on ART outcome of fresh embryo transfer on day 3. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 540 fresh single day 3 embryo transfer cycles at the Reproductive Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from January 1, 2018 to October 31, 2022. Patients were divided into 5-6 cell group (n = 55), 7-9 cell group (n = 457), and ≥ 10 cell group(n = 28) based on the number of blastomeres. Single factor analysis of variance and Pearson's chi square test were used to compare the basic data, cycle information, pregnancy outcome and neonatal outcome. Univariate logistic regression was used to correct for confounding factors and analyze the influencing factors of pregnancy outcome. RESULTS: The positive HCG rate were 20%, 43%, 25% for the 5-6-cell, 7-9 cell and ≥ 10 cell groups respectively, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.001). The clinical pregnancy rate was 18%, 42%,21%, respectively (P < 0.001). The live birth rates were 13%, 34%,21% with P-value less than 0.05 which is statistically significant. In order to exclude the influence of confounding factors, multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed, and the outcomes were consistent with previous findings. There were no significant differences found in neonatal outcome between groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results suggested that intermediate cleaving embryos (7-9 cell) still presents the highest clinical potential. Fast and slow cleaving embryos are not conducive to the ART outcome.

No advantage of single day 6 good-quality blastocyst transfer versus single day 5 poor-quality blastocyst transfer in frozen-thawed cycles stratified by age: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Blastocyst developmental speed, morphological grading and patient age are associated with pregnancy outcomes of frozen-thawed cycles. This study aimed to compare the clinical and neonatal outcomes between poor-quality D5 blastocysts and good-quality D6 blastocysts stratified by patient age. METHODS: A total of 1,623 cycles were divided into two groups: group A (n = 723) received one D5 poor-quality blastocyst; group B (n = 900) received one D6 good-quality blastocyst. Pregnancy and neonatal outcomes were compared among the four groups stratified by 35 years of age. RESULTS: When patients were in the same age group, there was no significant difference in terms of age, body mass index, infertility duration, infertility type, fertilization method, proportion of endometrial preparation protocols, and endometrial thickness between D5 poor-quality and D6 high-quality blastocysts groups. Live birth rate of D5 poor-quality blastocysts was higher than that of D6 high-quality blastocysts for patients aged < 35 years (35.48% vs. 31.13%, p > 0.05), but there was no statistical difference. The same trend was showed for patients aged ≥ 35 years (29.09% vs. 21.28%, p > 0.05). Moreover, when patients were in the same age category, there was no significant difference in terms of gestational age, birth weight, birth height, and rates of preterm birth, low birth weight, and very low birth weight between groups A and B. CONCLUSIONS: The preferential selection of poor-quality D5 blastocysts for transfer compared to high-quality D6 blastocysts is recommended, especially for advanced age patients. Single good-quality D6 blastocyst transfer can be considered for the acceptable live birth rate.

Effect of blastocyst quality on human sex ratio at birth in a single blastocyst frozen thawed embryo transfer cycle.

RESEARCH QUESTION: To determine whether blastocyst quality affects the sex ratio at birth through a single blastocyst frozen - thawed embryo transfer (SBFET) cycle. DESIGN: In this retrospective analysis, we examined 3,041 singleton infants born following SBFET between 2017 and 2020 at a single institution. We compared the sex ratios of these infants with respect to the blastocyst quality, embryo growth rate, and morphology. RESULTS: The main outcomes of this study were that the sex ratio (M/F) at birth of SBFET was 1.24. Mothers >40 years old had a considerably lower sex ratio than mothers <40 years old (0.39 vs. 1.23-1.28, p < .05). Transplanting high-quality blastocysts significantly increased the proportion of boys born (1.29 vs. 0.88, p < .05). There were no significant differences in the sex ratio with respect to the inner cell mass (ICM) score and expansion degree. Additionally, a high trophoblastic cell (TE) score resulted in a significantly higher sex ratio than the TE score with C (1.62 vs. 1.15 vs. 0.85, p < .001). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine which variables were significant factors affecting sex ratio, and the outcomes were consistent with previous findings. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicated that high-quality, especially good TE score, had a higher chance of resulting in a male infant than a female infant.

Kallistatin prevents ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome by regulating vascular leakage.

Angiogenesis and increased permeability are essential pathological basis for the development of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Kallistatin (KS) is an endogenous anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic factor that participates in a variety of diseases, but its role in OHSS remains unknown. In this study, treating a human ovarian granulosa-like tumour cell line KGN and human primary granulosa cells (PGCs) with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) reduced the expression of KS, but increased the expression of VEGF. Furthermore, we found that KS could attenuate the protein level of VEGF in both KGN cells and human PGCs. More interestingly, we observed that exogenous supplementation of KS significantly inhibited a series of signs of OHSS in mice, including weight gain, ovarian enlargement, increased vascular permeability and up-regulation of VEGF expression. In addition, KS was proved to be safe on mice ovulation, progression of normal pregnancy and fetus development. Collectively, these findings demonstrated that KS treatment prevented OHSS, at least partially, through down-regulating VEGF expression. For the first time, these results highlight the potential preventive value of KS in OHSS.

Clinical application of noninvasive chromosomal screening for elective single-blastocyst transfer in frozen-thawed cycles.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to explore the clinical application of noninvasive chromosomal screening (NICS) for elective single-blastocyst transfer (eSBT) in frozen-thawed cycles. METHODS: This study retrospectively analysed the data of 212 frozen-thawed single-blastocyst transfers performed in our centre from January 2019 to July 2019. The frozen embryos were selected based on morphological grades and placed in preincubation for 6 h after warming. Then spent microdroplet culture media of frozen-thawed blastocysts were harvested and subjected to NICS. The clinical outcomes were evaluated and further stratified analysis were performed, especially different fertilization approaches. RESULTS: The clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, and live birth rates in the euploidy group were significantly higher than those in the aneuploidy group (56.2% versus 29.4%) but were nonsignificantly different from those in the chaotic abnormal/NA embryos group (56.2% versus 60.4%). Compared with day6 (D6) blastocysts, D5 blastocysts had a nonsignificantly different euploidy rate (40.4% versus 48.1%, P = 0.320) but significantly increased clinical pregnancy (57.7% versus 22.2%, P < 0.001), ongoing pregnancy (48.1% versus 14.8%, P < 0.001), and live birth rates (48.1% versus 13.0%, P < 0.001). The percentage of chaotic abnormal/NA embryos group was significantly higher among D5 embryos than among D6 embryos (30.1% versus 11.1%, P = 0.006). The percentage of aneuploid embryos was higher among the embryos with lower morphological quality(21.5% among 'good' embryos versus 34.6% among 'fair' embryos versus 46.0% among 'poor' embryos, P = 0.013); correspondingly, the overall clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy and live birth rate rates showed similar declines. CONCLUSIONS: NICS combined with morphological assessment is an effective tool to guide frozen-thawed SBT. The optimal embryo for SBT is a 'euploid embryo with good morphology', followed sequentially by a 'chaotic abnormal/NA embryo with good morphology', 'euploid embryo with fair morphology', and 'chaotic abnormal/NA embryo with fair morphology'.

Kallistatin in follicular fluid of women with endometriosis and its correlation with IVF outcome.

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis (EM) affects 10% women of reproductive age and alters fertility. Its management is still debated notably the timing of surgery and ART in infertility. Kallistatin (KS) is an endogenous protein that regulates differential signaling pathways and biological functions. However, the function and the underlying molecular mechanism in EM and its correlation with in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcome have not been determined. The purpose of this study was to evaluate KS concentrations in follicular fluid (FF) of women with EM and controls women without EM who underwent IVF with embryo transfer (IVF-ET). METHODS: FF KS concentrations from 40 patients with EM and 40 non-EM patients were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: Compared with the non-EM patients, patients with EM had lower KS levels in FF (281.67 ± 104.60 vs. 490.70 ± 216.33 pg/ml). The rates of fertilization (61.64 ± 22.42 vs. 71.00 ± 24.39%), available embryo (45.96 ± 19.83 vs. 50.61 ± 26.26%), and top-quality embryo (12.71 ± 21.01 vs. 16.04 ± 16.87%) were significantly lower in the EM group than in the control group. The KS concentrations in the FF of women who conceived consequent to the treatment were significantly higher than those from women who did not in the combined EM and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the KS concentration in FF could be used as a predictor for IVF-ET outcomes. This may contribute to the pathologic mechanism responsible for the poor outcome of IVF in patients with EM.

Effect of the time for embryo transfer from oocyte retrieval on clinical outcomes in freeze-all cycles: a retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: To identify the optimal time for the frozen embryo transfer (FET) after oocyte retrieval in freeze-all cycles. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 977 patients was performed. Implantation, clinical pregnancy and live birth rates were analyzed. RESULTS: No significant difference was found between the first FET performed in the first menstrual cycle group and performed within the subsequent menstrual cycle group in terms of implantation, pregnancy and live birth rates. To rule out the effect of endometrial thickness, a hierarchical analysis was performed. There were no differences between groups for pregnancy, multiple pregnancy and live birth rates for all ranges of endometrial thickness. CONCLUSIONS: The first FET should be performed once the endometrial thickness has been prepared well rather than delaying until the subsequent menstrual cycles.

A Novel Self-Assembly Nanocrystal as Lymph Node-Targeting Delivery System: Higher Activity of Lymph Node Targeting and Longer Efficacy Against Lymphatic Metastasis.

Mitoxantrone (MTO) is used to treat certain types of cancer, mostly metastatic cancer. While the drug has poor aqueous solubility and high side effects. Self-assembly nanocrystal is a novel lymphatic targeting delivery system. In our study, MTO self-assembly nanocrystal (MTO NC) was successfully prepared to improve lymphatic targeting ability and reduce its toxicity. MTO NCs had small size, stable potential, and uniform distribution. The average particle size of MTO NCs was less than 100 nm with the 0.218 PDI and - 6.6 mV the Zeta potential value. TEM images showed that MTO NCs had a sphere-like morphology with smooth surface and uniform distribution; Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images gave a 3D surface of MTO NCs. Polarizing microscope micrograph (PLM) of MTO NCs in lymph nodes demonstrated the crystal structure of MTO NCs when it was exposed to physiological condition. Transmission electron microscopy showed the presence of MTO NCs in mice lymph nodes. Pharmacokinetic parameters of MTO strongly demonstrated that MTO NCs could target the lymph nodes after subcutaneous injection. Moreover, tissue distribution results indicated that MTO NCs were mainly absorbed by the lymphatics and reduced system toxicity. Finally, a lymphatic metastasis mice model was established to precede the pharmacodynamics of MTO NCs, and using MTO liposomes as a reference preparation, the inhibitory effect of MTO NCs on lymphatic metastasis was markedly higher. Briefly, MTO NCs, as a novel self-assembled lymphatic targeting system, can accumulate in the metastatic lymph nodes and lead anticancer drug to kill cancer cells and control lymphatic metastasis with extremely low systemic toxicity.

Hydrophobic interaction mediated coating of pluronics on mesoporous silica nanoparticle with stimuli responsiveness for cancer therapy.

In this research, a novel method was used to successfully stably coat Pluronic P123 on mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs). Co-constructing a drug delivery system (DDS) with P123 and MSNs has not been previously reported. In this DDS, the coating of P123 was realized through a hydrophobic interaction with octadecyl chain-modified MSNs. The experiments found only Pluronic with an appropriate ratio of hydrophilic and lipophilic segments could keep the nanoassemblies stable. For comparison, nanoassemblies consisting of P123 and octadecyl chain-modified MSNs with or without a disulfide bond were prepared, which were denoted as PSMSNs and PMSNs, respectively. The disulfide bond was expected to endow the system with redox-responsiveness to enhance the therapeutic effect meanwhile decreasing the toxicity. A series of experiments including characterization of the nanoparticles, in vitro drug release, cell uptake and cellular drug release, in vitro cytotoxicity, cell migration and biodistribution of the nanoparticles were carried out. Compared with the PMSNs, PSMSNs displayed a redox-responsive drug release property not only in in vitro release text, but also on the cellular level. In addition, the cell migration experiments proved that the coating of P123 endowed the system with the ability of anti-metastasis. The accumulation of P123 in the tumor was enhanced after coating the MSNs by virtue of the 'EPR' effect of nanoparticles compared with the solution form.

The Type III Effector AvrBs2 in Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola Suppresses Rice Immunity and Promotes Disease Development.

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, the causal agent of bacterial leaf streak, is one of the most important bacterial pathogens in rice. However, little is known about the functions of individual type III effectors in virulence and pathogenicity of X. oryzae pv. oryzicola. Here, we examined the effect of the mutations of 23 putative nontranscription activator-like effector genes on X. oryzae pv. oryzicola virulence. The avrBs2 knock-out mutant was significantly attenuated in virulence to rice. In contrast, the xopAA deletion caused enhanced virulence to a certain rice cultivar. It was also demonstrated that six putative effectors, including XopN, XopX, XopA, XopY, XopF1, and AvrBs2, caused the hypersensitive response on nonhost Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Virulence function of AvrBs2 was further confirmed by transgenic technology. Pathogen-associated molecular pattern-triggered immune responses including the generation of reactive oxygen species and expression of pathogenesis-related genes were strongly suppressed in the AvrBs2-expressing transgenic rice lines. Although not inhibiting flg22-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, heterologous expression of AvrBs2 greatly promotes disease progression in rice caused by two important bacterial pathogens X. oryzae pvs. oryzae and oryzicola. Collectively, these results indicate that AvrBs2 is an essential virulence factor that contributes to X. oryzae pv. oryzicola virulence through inhibiting defense responses and promoting bacterial multiplication in monocot rice.

Erratum: Author correction to "Immune-awakening Saccharomyces-inspired nanocarrier for oral target delivery to lymph and tumors" [Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 12 (2022) 4501-4518].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.04.018.].

Glucose-responsive insulin microneedle patches for long-acting delivery and release visualization.

Limited drug loading and incomplete drug release are two major obstacles that traditional polymeric microneedles (MNs) have to overcome. For smart controlled-release MNs, since drug release duration is uncertain, a clear indication of the finish of drug release is also important for patient guidance on the timing of the next dose. In this study, MN with a triple structure of a glucose-responsive shell, loaded insulin powders and a colored propelling inner core (inspired by the mechanism of osmotic pump) was innovatively constructed. The MN patch could release insulin according to blood glucose levels (BGLs) and had excellent drug loading, more complete drug release, and good drug stability, which significantly prolonged the normoglycemic time. An approximately 0.3 cm2 patch has a hypoglycemic effect on diabetic mice for up to 24 h. Moreover, the fading of the inner core could indicate the release process of the loaded drug and can help to facilitate uninterrupted closed loop therapy for patients. The designed triple MN structure is also suitable, and can be used in the design of other smart MN drug delivery systems to further improve their drug loading capacity and simultaneously achieve more complete, smart controlled and visualized drug release.

Size effect of mesoporous silica nanoparticles on regulating the immune effect of oral influenza split vaccine.

Mucosal immunization is a powerful weapon against viral infection. In this paper, large pore mesoporous silica nanoparticles (LMSN) with different particle sizes were synthesized for loading influenza split vaccine (SV) to explore the effect of nanoparticle sizes on mucosal immunization and adjuvant efficacy. Interestingly, it was found that among the three particle sizes of nanoparticles, only LMSN-M with around 250 nm could significantly enhance the mucosal immune effect of SV, possessing adjuvant effect. The results indicated that particle size affected the adjuvant effect of LMSN. There was no apparent difference in vaccine loading capacity of LMSN with different particle sizes, but the release of SV depended on the pore length of LMSN. The adjuvant effect of LMSN-M was attributed to its higher cellular uptake performance, intestine absorption and transport efficiency, and the ability to stimulate the maturation of dendritic cells. Simultaneously, compared with LMSN-S and LMSN-L, the more retention of LMSN-M in mesenteric lymph nodes increased the chance of interaction between vaccine and immune system, resulting in the enhanced immunity. This is the first time to study the impact of particle size of LMSN adjuvant on improving mucosal immunity of oral influenza vaccine, and the present work provides a scientific reference for adjuvant design of oral vaccine.

Effects of Embryo Microbial Contamination on ART and Neonatal Outcomes.

Purpose: This study investigated the incidence and microbial etiology of embryo contamination in assisted reproductive technology (ART), and its influence on embryo development, pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on embryo contamination at the Reproductive Centre of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, between 2018 and 2021. Results: In the period from 2018 to 2021, the average incidence of embryo contamination was 0.12%. Bacterial growth was observed in 39 cases, with a preponderance of Escherichia coli (20, 51.28%), Streptococcus agalactiae (7, 17.95%). The fertilization rate of contaminated embryos was 18.18% (Klebsiella pneumoniae) to 94.79% (S. agalactiae), the cleavage rate was 9.09% (Enterobacter cloacae) to 98.90% (S. agalactiae), and the available embryo rate of Day 3 was 0 (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae) to 63.33% (S. agalactiae). Blastocyst formation rate was 3.23% (Proteus mirabilis) to 64.29% (Streptococcus mitis). E. coli contamination occurred mostly on Day 1, and S. agalactiae on Days 3 and 5. After rinsing and rescuing treatment, six healthy male babies were born. Conclusion: E. coli and S. agalactiae were the most common bacterial embryo contaminants. Most microbial contamination can significantly decrease the fertilization rate. Embryo transfer after rinsing and continuing culture had no negative effect on neonatal outcomes, but there was an increased risk of early abortion due to E. coli contamination.

A bioactive nanocomposite integrated specific TAMs target and synergistic TAMs repolarization for effective cancer immunotherapy.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated from photosensitizers exhibit great potential for repolarizing immunosuppressive tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) toward the anti-tumor M1 phenotype, representing a promising cancer immunotherapy strategy. Nevertheless, their effectiveness in eliminating solid tumors is generally limited by the instability and inadequate TAMs-specific targeting of photosensitizers. Here, a novel core-shell integrated nano platform is proposed to achieve a coordinated strategy of repolarizing TAMs for potentiating cancer immunotherapy. Colloidal mesoporous silica nanoparticles (CMSN) are fabricated to encapsulate photosensitizer-Indocyanine Green (ICG) to improve their stability. Then ginseng-derived exosome (GsE) was coated on the surface of ICG/CMSN for targeting TAMs, as well as repolarizing TAMs concurrently, named ICG/CMSN@GsE. As expected, with the synergism of ICG and GsE, ICG/CMSN@GsE exhibited better stability, mild generation of ROS, favorable specificity toward M2-like macrophages, enhancing drug retention in tumors and superior TAMs repolarization potency, then exerted a potent antitumor effect. In vivo, experiment results also confirm the synergistic suppression of tumor growth accompanied by the increased presence of anti-tumor M1-like macrophages and maximal tumor damage. Taken together, by integrating the superiorities of TAMs targeting specificity and synergistic TAMs repolarization effect into a single nanoplatform, ICG/CMSN@GsE can readily serve as a safe and high-performance nanoplatform for enhanced cancer immunotherapy.

Kallikrein-binding protein inhibits LPS-induced TNF-α by upregulating SOCS3 expression.

Kallikrein-binding protein (KBP) was previously identified as a serpin family member with specific inhibitory effect on tissue kallikrein and angiogenesis, while there is little knowledge about the effects on inflammation. The aim of this study is to investigate whether KBP can suppress LPS-induced inflammatory process. Our results showed that both recombinant KBP and KBP overexpression inhibited LPS-stimulated TNF-α transcription and translation in macrophage cell line RAW264.7 and primary macrophages. Furthermore, KBP treatment protected mice from endotoxin shock and repressed serum TNF-α production, increasing survival rate of mice from 10% to 50% when compared to LPS alone. Moreover, qPCR and Western blot analysis demonstrated that both suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) transcription and translation were induced by KBP treatment in the present of LPS. RNA interference assay and luciferase assay showed that SOCS3 was responsible for the down-regulation of TNF-α by KBP, rather than NF-κB subunit p65 and ß-catenin. Therefore, we demonstrated that KBP suppressed LPS-induced TNF-α production via upregulating SOCS3 expression. These results present the protective effects of KBP on LPS-induced inflammation and provide novel information for the anti-inflammation mechanism.

The impact of intermediate product imports on industrial pollution emissions: Evidence from 30 industries in China.

Open and sustainable development is the theme that underpins a country's high-quality economic development. This study uses GMM regression, mediation effect test to conduct empirical tests based on the panel data of China's industrial sectors from 2003 to 2015 to analyze the internal mechanism of the impact of intermediate product imports on China's industrial pollution emissions. The results show that (1) Intermediate product imports can significantly promote the emission reduction of industrial wastes, including wastewater, waste gas and solid waste. (2) Considering the differences in the level of pollution intensity, this paper classified the sample and found the impact is heterogeneous that for the heavily, moderately, lightly polluted industries, intermediate product imports have different negative impacts on their pollution emissions. (3) Intermediate products imports reduce industrial pollution emissions through import competition effect, variety effect and technology spillover effect, and all of them play a partial mediating role.