circ_WASF2 regulates ferroptosis by miR-634/ GPX4 signaling in pancreatic cancer.

PURPOSE: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most lethal malignant gastrointestinal tumors (GI) characterized by a poor prognosis. Ferroptosis is an emerging programmed cell death that plays an essential role in the progression of various cancers. Ferroptosis is driven by iron-dependent phospholipid peroxidation and is regulated by mitochondrial activity, lipid peroxidation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The function and mechanism of ferroptosis in PC need more research. METHODS: The levels of circRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Western blot was used for protein detection. CCK8 assays were used to detect cell proliferation. Cell death, lipid peroxidation, ROS, and Fe2+ were detected by indicted kits. Dual-luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays were conducted to confirm the interaction between circRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs. RESULTS: In this research, we found that circular RNA hsa_circ_0000003(circ_WASF2) was upregulated in pancreatic cancer cells. The silence of circ_WASF2 inhibited cancer proliferation and increased cell death by increasing ferroptosis accompanied by up-regulation of lipid peroxidation, ROS, and Fe2+. Further studies showed that circ_WASF2 could attenuate ferroptosis by targeting miR-634 and the downstream glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4). GPX4 has been well-reported as a central factor in ferroptosis. Our research revealed a new pathway for regulating ferroptosis in PC. CONCLUSION: In summary, we have determined that circ_WASF2/miR-634/GPX4 contributed to ferroptosis-induced cell death, and provided a possible therapeutic target in PC.

Cassane diterpenoids from the aerial parts of Caesalpinia pulcherrima and their antibacterial and anti-glioblastoma activity.

Sixteen cassane diterpenoids (CAs), including four undescribed lactam-type, four unreported lactone-type, along with eight known ones, were isolated from the aerial parts of Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Sw. Their structures were characterized by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses (including NMR and HRESIMS). The absolute configuration of pulcherritam A was finally established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction with Cu Kα radiation. Notably, pulcherritam s A-D were elucidated as a group of rare CAs bearing an α, ß-unsaturated γ-lactam ring rather than a typical lactone moiety. Almost all compounds were examined for their antibacterial. The results reveal that pulcherritam H exhibited significant antibacterial activities against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, as well as Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidae (Psa) with the MIC from 6.25 to 12.5 µM, while pulcherritams A and C displayed potent antibacterial activities against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Then, all isolates were evaluated for their anti-glioblastoma activities. Pulcherritam A and Pulcherrimin G illustrated moderate inhibitory activity against glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) U87MG cell, and the other compounds did not show obvious inhibitory activity against GBM U87MG cell. Furthermore, the preliminary structure-activity relationship and their biosynthetic pathway were also discussed.

Application of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine: An Overview.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a new technical discipline that uses computer technology to research and develop the theory, method, technique, and application system for the simulation, extension, and expansion of human intelligence. With the assistance of new AI technology, the traditional medical environment has changed a lot. For example, a patient's diagnosis based on radiological, pathological, endoscopic, ultrasonographic, and biochemical examinations has been effectively promoted with a higher accuracy and a lower human workload. The medical treatments during the perioperative period, including the preoperative preparation, surgical period, and postoperative recovery period, have been significantly enhanced with better surgical effects. In addition, AI technology has also played a crucial role in medical drug production, medical management, and medical education, taking them into a new direction. The purpose of this review is to introduce the application of AI in medicine and to provide an outlook of future trends.

Artificial Intelligence to Diagnose Tibial Plateau Fractures: An Intelligent Assistant for Orthopedic Physicians.

OBJECTIVE: To explore a new artificial intelligence (AI)-aided method to assist the clinical diagnosis of tibial plateau fractures (TPFs) and further measure its validity and feasibility. METHODS: A total of 542 X-rays of TPFs were collected as a reference database. An AI algorithm (RetinaNet) was trained to analyze and detect TPF on the X-rays. The ability of the AI algorithm was determined by indexes such as detection accuracy and time taken for analysis. The algorithm performance was also compared with orthopedic physicians. RESULTS: The AI algorithm showed a detection accuracy of 0.91 for the identification of TPF, which was similar to the performance of orthopedic physicians (0.92±0.03). The average time spent for analysis of the AI was 0.56 s, which was 16 times faster than human performance (8.44±3.26 s). CONCLUSION: The AI algorithm is a valid and efficient method for the clinical diagnosis of TPF. It can be a useful assistant for orthopedic physicians, which largely promotes clinical workflow and further guarantees the health and security of patients.

[Purification Characteristics of Urban Tail Water from Sewage Treatment Plant by Biofilm Ecological Floating Bed].

The purification characteristics of nitrogenous tail water were investigated using a biofilm ecological floating bed technology to study biofilm length, hydraulic retention time (HRT), and biofilm coverage area with the aim to explore the purification characteristics of biofilm on urban tail water. Results show that the removal rates of NH4+-N, NO3--N, and TN were 90.82%, 62.7%, and 81.96%, respectively, at the half water depth to the suspended biofilm. The removal rate of NH4+-N was only 22.07%, and the concentration changes of NO3--N and TN were not obvious throughout the whole water depth to the suspended biofilm. When the HRT was 6 days, the removal rates of NH4+-N and TN could reach 82.01% and 62.88%, respectively, whereas the lowest rates were 55.24% and 46.82%, respectively. When the HRT was 12 days, the removal rates of NH4+-N and TN reached up to 81.4% and 79.93%, respectively, whereas the lowest rates were 8.73% and 17.23%, respectively. In contrast, the nitrogen removal efficiency was high and stable when the HRT was 6 days. When the coverage area was 10%, the removal rate was decreased in one operation cycle. When the coverage area was 20%, the removal rate showed an upward trend. Under the conditions of 10% and 20% biofilm coverage area, the removal rates of TN were 62.88% and 71.09%, respectively.

Cassane Diterpenoids from the Aerial Parts of Caesalpinia pulcherrima and Their Antifeedant and Insecticidal Activities against Mythimna separate and Plutella xylostella.

Ten new cassane diterpenoids, caesalpulcherrins A-J (1-10), together with 11 known analogues (11-21) were isolated from the aerial parts of Caesalpinia pulcherrima. Their structures and relative stereochemistry were elucidated by spectrometric and spectroscopic methods, including one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) NMR, high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESIMS), and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Compounds 1-4 represent the first examples of 2,5-dimethoxyfuranocassane diterpenoids. Results of the antifeedant activity indicated that isovouacapenol C (12) and pulcherrin N (14) exhibited remarkable antifeedant activity against Mythimna separate with EC50 values of 3.43 and 4.20 µg/cm2, respectively. Meanwhile, pulcherrimin C (13) and 12-demethyl neocaesalpin F (18) exerted significant antifeedant activity against Plutella xylostella with an EC50 data of 4.00 and 3.05 µg/cm2, respectively. Some of the compounds showed obvious toxic activity against the plant-feeding generalist insect herbivores, M. separate and P. xylostella, at 0.8 mg/mL (800 ppm). Furthermore, the structure-activity relationships of antifeedant and insecticidal activities are also discussed in the article.

[Characteristics of Nitrogen Metabolism by Denitrifying Bacterial Agents in Low Dissolved Oxygen Black Odor Water].

In order to deal with low dissolved oxygen black odor water body of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the nitrogen metabolic capacity of ammoniated bacteria, nitrifying bacteria and denitrifying bacteria under low dissolved oxygen concentration was studied, and the relationship between denitrification efficiency and nitrogen conversion of different bacteria was clarified, which provided theoretical basis for the treatment of black odor water of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Nitrogen conversion characteristics of ammoniated bacteria (Staphylococcus sp. Ay), nitrifying bacteria (Microbacterium sp. Xw), and denitrifying bacteria (Arthrobacter sp. Fy) in simulated wastewater were detected by different concentration of bacteria and different concentration of substrates. The nitrogen metabolism of Ay, Xw and Fy in black odor water at the same concentration under low dissolved oxygen condition and the characteristics of nitrogen metabolism in different concentrations of black odor water were studied. The results showed that the bacterial concentration of Ay bacterium agent increased three times, but the ammoniation efficiency did not multiply. It indicated that increasing the concentration of ammoniated bacterium was not the best way to increase the ammoniation rate. Xw bacteria have a significant effect on the change of nitrate concentration. At 60 h, the nitrate concentration was increased 180% at low bacterial concentration, was 231% at a high bacterial concentration. Fy denitrification efficiency was high, that nitrate nitrogen can be removed quickly at lower concentration. Appropriate increase of total nitrogen concentration can increase the ammoniation efficiency of Ay microbial agent, but too high would inhibit the nitrogen metabolism efficiency of Ay microbial agent. The concentration of nitrate nitrogen of Xw bacterium reagent was increased (3736%) when the total nitrogen was 25 mg·L-1. The Fy microbial agent has no obvious effect on ammonia nitrogen removal. When the total nitrogen concentration was 25 mg·L-1, the removal rate of nitrate by Fy bacterium was the best. Overall, the results showed that the concentration of ammoniated bacteria and denitrifying bacteria could meet the need of nitrogen metabolism, and the nitrifying bacteria could increase the nitrate nitrogen synthesis rate with the increase of the concentration of nitrifying bacteria. In a certain range, increasing the concentration of substrate could increase the efficiency of nitrogen metabolism of bacterial agents, and excessive concentration would inhibit the effect of nitrogen metabolism. The study provides data support for the problem of black odor water in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Application of Virtual Reality Technology in Disaster Medicine.

The occurrence of major emergencies often leads to environmental damage, property damage, health challenges and life threats. Despite the tremendous progress we have made in responding to the many challenges posed by disasters in recent years, there are still many shortcomings. As an emerging technology widely used in recent years, virtual reality (VR) technology is very suitable for many fields of disaster medicine, such as basic education, professional training, psychotherapy, etc. The purpose of this review article is to introduce the application of VR technology in the disaster medical field and prospect its trend in the future.

An overview of grayanane diterpenoids and their biological activities from the Ericaceae family in the last seven years.

Grayanane diterpenoids, possessing a unique 5/7/6/5 tetracyclic system, exist exclusively in plants of the Ericaceae family. Owing to their various skeletons, complex structures, and diverse bioactivities, grayanoids have been the topic of research in many phytochemical and pharmacological laboratories, offering opportunities for the development of new drugs with analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) properties. Recently, a number of new grayanane diterpenoids with unprecedented carbon skeletons have been obtained from plants of the Ericaceae family, and they exhibit diverse biological properties, such as agalgesic, antinociceptive, anticancer, antiviral, antifeedant, insecticidal, toxicity, and PTP1B. In this review, 162 new grayanoids with 14 carbon skeletons from the Ericaceae family over the past seven years (2012-October 2018) are discussed, including their occurrence and distribution, skeleton types, structural features, biological activities, and structure-activity relationships (SARs). Also, strategies for the structural elucidation are summarized to provide useful information for medicinal chemists in developing potent anticancer, antiviral, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and novel PTP1B agents.

Effect of rhamnolipids on degradation of anthracene by two newly isolated strains, Sphingomonas sp. 12A and Pseudomonas sp. 12B.

Anthracene is a PAH that is not readily degraded, plus its degradation mechanism is still not clear. Thus, two strains of bacteria-degrading bacteria were isolated from longterm petroleum-polluted soil and identified as Sphingomonas sp. 12A and Pseudomonas sp. 12B by a 16S rRNA sequence analysis. To further enhance the anthracene-degrading ability of the two strains, the biosurfactants produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa W3 were used, which were characterized as rhamnolipids. It was found that these rhamnolipids dramatically increased the solubility of anthracene, and a reverse-phase HPLC assay showed that the anthracene degradation percentage after 18 days with Pseudomonas sp. 12B was significantly enhanced from 34% to 52%. Interestingly, their effect on the degradation by Sphingomonas sp. 12A was much less, from 35% to 39%. Further study revealed that Sphingomonas sp. 12A also degraded the rhamnolipids, which may have hampered the effect of the rhamnolipids on the anthracene degradation.

[Cell-surface hydrophobicity and degradation characteristics of hydrophobic hydrocarbon degrading bacteria].

Three high efficient hydrocarbon degrading bacteria named HDB-1, HDB-2, HDB-3 were separated from the oil contaminant soil. This paper studied on the cell-surface hydrophobicity of these three bacteria and environment influence factor by MATH,and the results show that the xylene-water two-phase system is suitable for studying the cell-surface hydrophobicity of three bacteria; the cell-surface hydrophobicities of HDB-1, HDB-2 and HDB-3 are respectively 68.8%, 57.4% and 64.1%; the hydrophobicity changed with the difference of cultivation and time,carbon source, temperature and pH value; the removal ratio of 1 000 mg/L oil content for 6 day can reach 91.6%, 64.5% and 79.8%. The hydrophobicity is related definitely with the degradation of the organic pollutant, and the degradation rate of hydrophobic organic by the bacteria of high hydrophobicity is quicker than that by the bacteria of low hydrophobicity.

[Ion beam implantation in breeding efficient degradation bacteria].

Sphingomonas sp. AN1 was mutagenized and breeded by N+ implantation, mutants capable of degrading anthrancene was obtained. The research review that the degrading rate increased by 29.3% and 36.2% while the mutagenized rate was 80% - 100% and 60% - 80%. In addition, the maximum concentration of enduring anthracene reached 300mg/L and 400mg/L. Their heritance stability were examined for fifteen transfers. Among these strains, two strains,AN815-3 and AN315-5S,showed predominant character of survival ability and degrading activity. Their rate of degrading anthrancene reached 73% and 75% respectively. Effect of positive mutagenesis is evident.

[Electrofusion of building coupling system for degrading anthracene and fusants' choices].

Some researches have been carried out for the electro fusion of building coupling system for degrading anthracene and the choices of fusants. During the experiments, total rate of fusion stable in alternation current frequency 500 kHz, impulse intensity 300 V/cm, impulse width 5 micros, amount of impulse 2 and alternation current intensity 20-40 V/cm were found. The resistant plate with erythromycin and ampicillin can screen the fusant of autochthonous bacterium and surfactant-producing bacterium. The resistant plate with anthracene and karnamicin can screen the fusant of autochthonous bacterium and efficient anthracene-degradation bacterium. The new fusants were found to have stable fluorescent characteristics.