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BACKGROUND: Keratosis pilaris (KP) is a prevalent benign dermatological condition characterized by small bumps at the hair follicles alongside surrounding redness, significantly impacting both aesthetics and mental well-being. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the potential benefits of a non-cross-linked hyaluronic acid (HA) compound for treating KP. METHODS: A split-body, investigator-blinded, randomized, intraindividual comparative clinical trial was conducted. The non-cross-linked HA compound was injected into KP-affected regions on both upper arms. The treatment was delivered across four sessions scheduled at 4-week intervals. Blinded physicians and patients assessed differences in erythema, skin roughness, and overall scores between treated and control areas at the final follow-up visit. At the 12th and 24th weeks post-treatment, a four-point scale was utilized to assess subjects' perceived treatment efficacy. Additionally, dermoscopic images, histological alterations, and adverse events were monitored. RESULTS: Physician assessments revealed a significant reduction in roughness and overall scores for treated areas compared to controls. Patient self-assessments also reflected improvements in roughness, redness, and overall scores for treated sides at the final visit, with 35.71% of patients demonstrating sustained improvement in redness and 71.43% reporting persistent improvements in roughness at 24th weeks post-treatment. The dermatoscopic examinations revealed a notable enhancement in both the quantity of follicular plugs and the extent of erythema among the subjects in the treatment group. Histopathological outcomes also demonstrated improvement. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the non-cross-linked HA compound effectively improves skin roughness and promotes hair shaft growth in KP treatment, demonstrating a favorable safety profile. These findings position it as a potentially viable alternative therapy in clinical practice.
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Phage therapy offers a promising approach to combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. Yet, key questions remain regarding dosage, administration routes, combination therapy, and the causes of therapeutic failure. In this study, we focused on a novel lytic phage, ФAb4B, which specifically targeted the Acinetobacter baumannii strains with KL160 capsular polysaccharide, including the pan-drug resistant A. baumannii YQ4. ФAb4B exhibited the ability to effectively inhibit biofilm formation and eradicate mature biofilms independently of dosage. Additionally, it demonstrated a wide spectrum of antibiotic-phage synergy and did not show any cytotoxic or haemolytic effects. Continuous phage injections, both intraperitoneally and intravenously over 7 d, showed no acute toxicity in vivo. Importantly, phage therapy significantly improved neutrophil counts, outperforming ciprofloxacin. However, excessive phage injections suppressed neutrophil levels. The combinatorial treatment of phage-ciprofloxacin rescued 91% of the mice, a superior outcome compared to phage alone (67%). The efficacy of the combinatorial treatment was independent of phage dosage. Notably, prophylactic administration of the combinatorial regimen provided no protection, but even when combined with a delayed therapeutic regimen, it saved all the mice. Bacterial resistance to the phage was not a contributing factor to treatment failure. Our preclinical study systematically describes the lytic phage's effectiveness in both in vitro and in vivo settings, filling in crucial details about phage treatment against bacteriemia caused by A. baumannii, which will provide a robust foundation for the future of phage therapy.
Subject(s)
Acinetobacter Infections , Acinetobacter baumannii , Anti-Bacterial Agents , Bacteriophages , Biofilms , Ciprofloxacin , Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial , Phage Therapy , Acinetobacter baumannii/virology , Acinetobacter baumannii/drug effects , Phage Therapy/methods , Acinetobacter Infections/therapy , Acinetobacter Infections/microbiology , Animals , Biofilms/drug effects , Bacteriophages/physiology , Mice , Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Ciprofloxacin/therapeutic use , Ciprofloxacin/pharmacology , Disease Models, Animal , Female , Mice, Inbred BALB CABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of hypertensive heart disease (HHD) is high and there is currently no easy way to detect early HHD. Explore the application of radiomics using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) non-enhanced cine sequences in diagnosing HHD and latent cardiac changes caused by hypertension. METHODS: 132 patients who underwent CMR scanning were divided into groups: HHD (42), hypertension with normal cardiac structure and function (HWN) group (46), and normal control (NOR) group (44). Myocardial regions of the end-diastolic (ED) and end-systolic (ES) phases of the CMR short-axis cine sequence images were segmented into regions of interest (ROI). Three feature subsets (ED, ES, and ED combined with ES) were established after radiomic least absolute shrinkage and selection operator feature selection. Nine radiomic models were built using random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), and naive Bayes. Model performance was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic curves, and metrics like accuracy, area under the curve (AUC), precision, recall, and specificity. RESULTS: The feature subsets included first-order, shape, and texture features. SVM of ED combined with ES achieved the highest accuracy (0.833), with a macro-average AUC of 0.941. AUCs for HHD, HWN, and NOR identification were 0.967, 0.876, and 0.963, respectively. Precisions were 0.972, 0.740, and 0.826; recalls were 0.833, 0.804, and 0.863, respectively; and specificities were 0.989, 0.863, and 0.909, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Radiomics technology using CMR non-enhanced cine sequences can detect early cardiac changes due to hypertension. It holds promise for future use in screening for latent cardiac damage in early HHD.
Subject(s)
Early Diagnosis , Hypertension , Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine , Humans , Female , Male , Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine/methods , Middle Aged , Hypertension/diagnostic imaging , Hypertension/complications , Support Vector Machine , Heart Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Aged , Adult , Bayes Theorem , ROC Curve , Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/methods , RadiomicsABSTRACT
Objective: Unsafe medication practices and medication errors are a major cause of harm in healthcare systems around the world. This study aimed to explore the factors that influence the risk of medication and provide medication risk evaluation model for adults in Shanxi province, China. Methods: The data was obtained from the provincial questionnaire from May to December 2022, relying on the random distribution of questionnaires and online questionnaires by four hospitals in Shanxi Province. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the factors affecting the KAP score of residents. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the independent risk factors, and the nomogram was verified by receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration and decision curve analysis. Results: A total of 3,388 questionnaires were collected, including 3,272 valid questionnaires. The average scores of drugs KAP were 63.2 ± 23.04, 33.05 ± 9.60, 23.67 ± 6.75 and 33.16 ± 10.87, respectively. On the evaluation criteria of the questionnaire, knowledge was scored "fair", attitude and practice were scored "good". Sex, monthly income, place of residence, insurance status, education level, and employment were regarded as independent risk factors for medication and a nomogram was established by them. Conclusion: Males, low-income, and low-educated people are important factors affecting the risk of medication. The application of the model can help residents understand the risk of their own medication behavior and reduce the harm of medication.
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With the popularization of 5G technology and the development of science and technology, flexible and transparent conductive films (TCF) are increasingly used in the preparation of optoelectronic devices such as electromagnetic shielding devices, transparent flexible heaters, and solar cells. Silver nanowires (AgNW) are considered the best material for replacing indium tin oxide to prepare TCFs due to their excellent comprehensive properties. However, the loose overlap between AgNWs is a significant reason for the high resistance. This article investigates a sandwich structured conductive network composed of AgNW and Ti3C2Tx MXene for high-performance EMI shielding and transparent electrical heaters. Polyethylene pyrrolidone (PVP) solution was used to hydrophilic modify PET substrate, and then MXene, AgNW, and MXene were assembled layer by layer using spin coating method to form a TCF with a sandwich structure. One-dimensional AgNW is used to provide electron transfer channels and improve light penetration, while two-dimensional MXene nanosheets are used for welding AgNWs and adding additional conductive channels. The flexible TCF has excellent transmittance (85.1 % at 550 nm) and EMI shielding efficiency (27.1 dB). At the voltage of 5 V, the TCF used as a heater can reach 85.6 °C. This work offers an innovative approach to creating TCFs for the future generation.
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Background: The demand for soft tissue filler injections has experienced a significant increase in recent years. Therefore, this study used bibliometric analysis to identify prominent research areas and emerging trends within the field. Methods: Publications concerning research on soft tissue filler injections were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Subsequently, VOSviewer 1.6.18 and CiteSpace 6.2.R4 software were used to analyze the co-authorship, co-occurrence, and citations of countries, institutions, authors, hotspot keywords, and journals associated with these studies. Results: A total of 1370 records pertaining to filler injection research conducted between 2000 and 2022 were identified. The United States (524 publications) emerged as the country with the highest number of publications in this field, with Mayo Clinic (37 publications) making the most substantial contribution. Dermatologic Surgery emerged as the leading journal in this field, publishing the highest number of research articles (151 publications) and also being the most frequently co-cited. Cotofana proved to be the most prolific author with 51 publications, and Lemperle emerged as the most frequently co-cited author with 628 citations (including total link strength: 6587). The most popular keywords, in descending order of popularity, were "dermal filler," "injection," "soft-tissue augmentation," "complications," and "hyaluronic acid." Conclusions: The findings of this study offer a comprehensive overview of the main directions in filler injection research. Furthermore, they underscore the imperative of intensifying efforts to prevent complications linked to filler injections.
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BACKGROUND: Infraorbital aging develops during the natural aging process. Various treatment options offer unique benefits, accompanied by diverse side effect profiles, and can be synergistically combined to optimize results. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a comprehensive approach involving non-cross-linked hyaluronic acid injection and smooth absorbable PPDO (poly p-dioxanone) thread insertion for infraorbital rejuvenation. METHODS: This retrospective case series study enrolled ten female patients with infraorbital aging from March 2022 to April 2023. Clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and adverse events were assessed at 1, 3, and 6 months posttreatment. RESULTS: The median Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale scores evaluated by the operator and blinded evaluator were 1.70 ± 0.42 and 1.80 ± 0.35, respectively, at six months posttreatment. The median Allergan Infraorbital Hollows Scale determined by the operator was 1.15 ± 0.34 at six months posttreatment, whereas the scores evaluated by the blinded evaluator were 1.15 ± 0.53. At six months after treatment, 50% of patients were satisfied, and an additional 40% reported strong satisfaction with the clinical improvement following treatment. No serious adverse events, such as infections, lumps, irregularities, Tyndall effect, hematoma, or skin necrosis, occurred during the treatment period. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of PPDO thread insertion and non-cross-linked hyaluronic acid injection yielded satisfactory and effective clinical outcomes with no occurrence of serious adverse events for infraorbital rejuvenation. We anticipate that this study will contribute to the advancement of novel treatment options for infraorbital aging. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
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This study aims to analysis the structures of polysaccharides isolated from Pteridium revolutum and their antioxidant and antiglycated activities. Three novel water-soluble heteropolysaccharides, named PRP0, PRP1, and PRP2, were isolated from P. revolutum. The average molecular weight was determined by high performance gel permeation chromatography analysis as 1.04 × 106, 8.39 × 105, and 7.37 × 105 Da, respectively. Their structures were characterized using physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. The antioxidant and antiglycated activities were assayed in vitro. PRP0, PRP1, and PRP2 consist of l-Ara, l-Rha, d-Man, d-Xyl, d-Fuc, d-Gal, and d-Glc in different proportions. PRP1 mainly has a backbone of (1 â 3,6)-linked d-Man and (1 â 3)-linked d-Gal on main chain. PRP2 is mainly composed of (1 â 2,4)-linked d-Man and (1 â 3)-linked d-Gal on main chain. All polysaccharides have strong scavenging power on 2,2-difenil-1-picril-hidrazil and hydroxyl radicals and significantly antiglycated activity in Bovine serum albumin-Glucose model, which showing that the polysaccharides have potential application value on the functional food.
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BACKGROUND: Horizontal neck wrinkles develop during the aging process. AIMS: This study assessed the effectiveness of a comprehensive approach to treating horizontal neck wrinkles using non-cross-linked hyaluronic acid injection and smooth absorbable PPDO (Poly p-dioxanon) thread insertion. METHODS: Ten patients with horizontal neck wrinkles were treated with hyaluronic acid injection and thread-lifting. The clinical outcomes were evaluated six months after treatment. RESULTS: The median global aesthetic improvement scale scores evaluated by plastic surgeons and the patients were 4.3 ± 0.8 (3-5) and 4.1 ± 0.7 (3-5), respectively, at six months post-treatment. Five (50%) patients strongly agreed, and three subjects (30%) agreed that their horizontal neck wrinkles had improved following treatment. No serious adverse events, including infections, lumps, irregularities, or the Tyndall effect, occurred during treatment. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that a comprehensive approach using hyaluronic acid and thread-lifting provided satisfactory and effective clinical outcomes in treating horizontal neck wrinkles. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors http://www.springer.com/00266 .
Subject(s)
Hyaluronic Acid , Skin Aging , Humans , Injections , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To identify the microbial characteristics and diversity in supragingival plaque and caries tissue of patients with different dental caries phenotypes. METHODS: From January 2019 to December 2019, randomized double-blind method was used to select 10 healthy people without caries and 33 patients with caries of mild, moderate and severe degrees in dental clinic of our hospital. Supragingival plaque and caries tissues were collected, and detected by pyrosequencing through amplification of the 16S rRNA-cDNA hypervariable regions. Then the microbial species and relative abundance were compared among patients with different severity degrees. SPSS 23.0 software package was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Compared with non-caries group, the content and abundance of microorganisms in supragingival plaque and carious tissue of caries group were significantly decreased (Pï¼0.05). The main caries tissue of three severity degree groups were dominated by Bacteroidetes, Spirochaetes, Proteobacteria, Fusobacteria, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, and the proportion of the predominant bacteria had significant difference among three groups(Pï¼0.05). There were 21 species of supragingival bacteria in three groups, among which Fusobacteriales, Coriobacteriales, Neisseriales, Actinomycetales and Lactobacillales accounted for a high proportion, and the remainings were all below 1%, while the proportion of five main bacteria showed no significant difference among three groups (Pï¼0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Caries is caused by a variety of bacteria, and is the result of microbial communities rather than a single pathogen; Moreover, the microbial abundance of plaque and caries tissue vary among patients with different dental caries phenotypes, and the microbial diversity has a decreasing trend in the progress of dental caries.
Subject(s)
Dental Caries , Dental Plaque , Bacteria/genetics , DNA, Complementary , Humans , Phenotype , RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/geneticsABSTRACT
14-3-3 proteins are important proteins in plants, as they regulate plant growth and development and the response to biotic or abiotic stresses. In this study, a 14-3-3 gene(GenBank accession: OM683281) was screened from the cDNA library of the medicinal species Salvia miltiorrhiza by yeast two-hybrid and cloned. The open reading frame(ORF) was 780 bp, encoding 259 amino a cids. Bioinformatics analysis predicted that the protein was a non-transmembrane protein with the molecular formula of C_(1287)H_(2046)N_(346)O_(422)S_9, relative molecular weight of 29.4 kDa, and no signal peptide. Homologous sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree analysis proved that the protein belonged to 14-3-3 family and had close genetic relationship with the 14-3-3 proteins from Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, and Nicotiana tabacum. The 14-3-3 gene was ligated to the prokaryotic expression vector pGEX-4 T-1 and then transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 for the expression of recombinant protein. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR showed that the expression of this gene was different among roots, stems, leaves, and flowers of S. miltiorrhiza. To be specific, the highest expression was found in leaves, followed by stems, and the lowest expression was detected in flowers. S. miltiorrhiza plants were treated with 15% PEG(simulation of drought), and hormones salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate, and ethephon, respectively, and the expression of 14-3-3 gene peaked at the early stage of induction. Therefore, the gene can quickly respond to abiotic stresses such as drought and plant hormone treatments such as salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, and ethylene. This study lays the foundation for revealing the molecular mechanism of 14-3-3 protein regulating tanshinone biosynthesis and responding to biotic and abiotic stresses.
Subject(s)
Salvia miltiorrhiza , 14-3-3 Proteins/genetics , 14-3-3 Proteins/metabolism , Amino Acid Sequence , Cloning, Molecular , Ethylenes/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation, Plant , Hormones/metabolism , Phylogeny , Plant Growth Regulators/pharmacology , Plant Proteins/genetics , Plant Proteins/metabolism , Recombinant Proteins/genetics , Salicylic Acid/metabolism , Salvia miltiorrhiza/genetics , Salvia miltiorrhiza/metabolismABSTRACT
Objective To investigate effect of MR field strength on texture features of cerebral T2 fluid attenuated inversion recovery (T2-FLAIR) images. Methods We acquired cerebral 3D T2-FLAIR images of thirty patients who were diagnosed with ischemic white matter lesion (WML) with MR-1.5T and MR-3.0T scanners. Histogram texture features which included mean signal intensity (Mean), Skewness and Kurtosis, and gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) texture features which included angular second moment (ASM), Contrast, Correlation, Inverse difference moment (IDM) and Entropy, of regions of interest located in the area of WML and normal white matter (NWM) were measured by ImageJ software. The texture parameters acquired with MR-1.5T scanning were compared with MR-3.0T scanning. Results The Mean of both WML and NWM obtained with MR-1.5T scanning was significantly lower than that acquired with MR-3.0T (P<0.001), while Skewness and Kurtosis between MR-1.5T and MR-3.0T scanning showed no significant difference (P>0.05). ASM, Correlation and IDM of both WML and NWM acquired with MR-1.5T revealed significantly lower values than those with MR-3.0T (P<0.001), while Contrast and Entropy acquired with MR-1.5T showed significantly higher values than those with MR-3.0T (P<0.001). Conclusion MR field strength showed no significant effect on histogram textures, while had significant effect on GLCM texture features of cerebral T2-FLAIR images, which indicated that it should be cautious to explain the texture results acquired based on the different MR field strength.
Subject(s)
Brain/diagnostic imaging , Imaging, Three-Dimensional , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Brain/pathology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pilot Projects , White Matter/diagnostic imaging , White Matter/pathology , Young AdultABSTRACT
Density functional theory calculations with a Hubbard U correction were used to investigate the selective oxidation of propylene on Cu2O(111) and Cu2O(110) surfaces, and the mechanism for the selective oxidation of propylene was discussed. On both surfaces, acrolein can be generated by two H-stripping reactions in the allylic hydrogen stripping path, while propylene oxide (PO), propanal, and acetone can be created through the propylene oxametallacycle intermediates in the epoxidation path. Our calculation results indicated that Cu2O has a high crystal plane-controlled phenomenon for the selective oxidation of propylene. It was found that the formations of propanal and acetone are unfavorable kinetically and acrolein is the main product on the (111) surface. On the (110) surface, the activation barrier of acrolein formation is too high to produce and PO becomes the favored product, which is different from the case of the (111) surface. Moreover, energetic span model analysis was carried out to discuss the selective oxidation of propylene on these two surfaces and confirm the above calculations. The present study can help people to design the proper crystal plane catalyst to get the target product of PO with high selectivity and activity in the selective oxidation of propylene.
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Purpose: The aim of the present prospective follow-up study was to explore the early indicators of hypothyroidism and the final changes in thyroid volume in subacute thyroiditis (SAT) patients. Methods: We enrolled 61 SAT patients and followed them up for 2 years to assess the incidence of hypothyroidism and changes in thyroid volume. Binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used for data analysis. Results: During the 2 years follow-up period, we found that the volumes of the thyroid gland in SAT patients at 1 and 2 years were significantly smaller than those in the healthy control group, which were significantly smaller compared to the initial thyroid volumes after SAT onset (p < 0.001). Also, the thyroid volumes of SAT patients with hypothyroidism were significantly smaller than those of SAT patients without hypothyroidism. The early maximum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) values (within 3 months after SAT onset) were closely related to the incidence of hypothyroidism at 2 years. The OR value was 1.18 (95% CI = 1.01-1.38, p = 0.032). The early maximum TSH value had a maximum area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.866 for the development of hypothyroidism 2 years after SAT onset vs. euthyroidism (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The thyroid volumes of patients increased significantly after the onset of SAT, while during the follow-up these volumes decreased; the thyroid volumes at 1 and 2 years were significantly smaller than those of normal healthy subjects, especially in SAT patients with hypothyroidism. Furthermore, the early maximum TSH value could be used as an effective indicator of the development of hypothyroidism 2 years after the onset of SAT.
Subject(s)
Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/adverse effects , Hypothyroidism/epidemiology , Thyroiditis, Subacute/drug therapy , Thyrotropin/metabolism , Adult , Biomarkers/analysis , Case-Control Studies , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Hypothyroidism/chemically induced , Hypothyroidism/pathology , Male , Prognosis , Prospective Studies , Thyroid Function Tests , Thyroiditis, Subacute/metabolism , Thyroiditis, Subacute/pathologyABSTRACT
The present study aimed to investigate the value of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) combined with quantitative analysis of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) for the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa). A total of 81 patients with prostatic diseases, including PCa (n=44) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH, n=37), were imaged with T1 weighted imaging (T1WI), T2 weighted imaging (T2WI), DWI and DCE-MRI. The blood vessel permeability parameters volume transfer rate constant (Ktrans), back flow rate constant (Kep), extravascular extracellular space volume fraction (Ve), plasma volume fraction (Vp) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were measured, and compared between the two groups. The efficiency of these tools for the diagnosis of PCa was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The efficiency of ADC combined with blood vessel permeability parameters in the diagnosis of PCa was analyzed by logistic regression. The correlation between these parameters and the Gleason score was evaluated by Spearman correlation analysis in the PCa group. The results demonstrated that, compared with the BPH group, Ktrans, Kep, Ve and Vp were higher, and ADC was lower in the PCa group (P<0.05). The combination of Kep and ADC offered the highest diagnosis efficiency [area under the curve (AUC=0.939)]. However, the combination of three parameters did not significantly improve the diagnostic efficiency. A subtle improvement in diagnostic efficiency was observed when four parameters (Ktrans + Kep + Ve + ADC) were combined (AUC=0.940), which was significantly higher than with one parameter. The ADC value of the PCa group was negatively correlated with the primary Gleason pattern, secondary Gleason pattern and the total Gleason score in PCa (r=-0.665, -0.456 and -0.714, respectively; P<0.001). The Vp in the PCa group was slightly negatively correlated with the primary Gleason pattern of PCa (r=-0.385; P<0.05); however, no significant correlation was found with secondary Gleason pattern and the total Gleason score. The present study revealed that the combination of DCE-MRI quantitative analysis and DWI was efficient for PCa diagnosis. This may be because DCE-MRI and DWI can noninvasively detect water motility in tumor tissues and alterations in permeability during tumor neovascularization. The present study demonstrated that Kep and ADC values may be used as predictive parameters for PCa diagnosis, which may help differentiate benign from malignant prostate lesions.
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We discuss the diverse biological activities, therapeutic potential, and clinical applications of peptides and proteins isolated from various yams species including Dioscorea opposita Thunb (Chinese yam), D alata, D japonica (Japanese yam), D pseudojaponica, D batatas (Korea yam), and D cayenensis. Yam peptides and proteins have many pharmacological activities including immunomodulatory, antioxidant, estrogen-stimulating, osteogenic, angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibiting, carbonic anhydrase and trypsin inhibiting, chitinase, anti-insect, anti-dust mite, lectin, and anti-proliferative activities. Yam peptides and proteins have therapeutic potential for treating cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory diseases, cancers, aging disorders, menopause, and osteoporosis.
Subject(s)
Dioscorea/chemistry , Peptides , Phytotherapy , Plant Proteins , Animals , Humans , Peptides/chemistry , Peptides/pharmacology , Plant Proteins/chemistry , Plant Proteins/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Understanding the molecular mechanisms of azo dye decolorization is important for the development of effective bioremediation for textile-colored wastewater. A halophilic bacterium Halomonas sp. strain GT was isolated, which could degrade the azo dye Acid Brilliant Scarlet GR at 10% NaCl. The complete genome sequence of this strain was obtained using the PacBio RS II platform. Genome annotation revealed that four proteins are related to decolorization of azo dyes, such as azoreductase, laccases, benzene 1,2-dioxygenase, and catechol 1,2-dioxygenase. The putative azoreductase gene of Halomonas sp. strain GT responsible for the decolorization of azo dye in high salt environment was isolated. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that the azoG (azoreductase gene of Halomonas sp. strain GT) and its homologs constituted a new branch of the NADH depending azoreductases, with all the homologous sequence of the protein from halophilic bacteria. At high NaCl concentrations, azoreductase gene expression and azoreductase activity were restrained in Halomonas sp. strain GT, which resulted in low a decolorization rate.
Subject(s)
Cloning, Molecular/methods , Halomonas/enzymology , NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases/genetics , NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases/isolation & purification , Salinity , Base Sequence , Color , Coloring Agents/chemistry , DNA, Circular/genetics , Genome, Bacterial , Halomonas/drug effects , Halomonas/genetics , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Nitroreductases , Phylogeny , Recombinant Proteins/metabolism , Sodium Chloride/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Estrogen-stimulating principles have been demonstrated to relieve postmenopausal syndrome effectively. Gardenia jasminoides Ellis (GJE) is an herbal medicine possessing multiple pharmacological effects on human health with low toxicity. However, the therapeutic effects of GJE on the management of postmenopausal syndrome and its mechanism of action have not been fully elucidated. In this study, network pharmacology-based approaches were employed to examine steroidogenesis under the influence of GJE. In addition, the possibility of toxicity of GJE was ruled out and four probable active compounds were predicted. In parallel, a chromatographic fraction of GJE with estrogen-stimulating effect was identified and nine major compounds were isolated from this active fraction. Among the nine compounds, four of them were identified by network pharmacology, validating the use of network pharmacology to predict active compounds. Then the phenotypic approaches were utilized to verify that rutin, chlorogenic acid (CGA) and geniposidic acid (GA) exerted an estrogen-stimulating effect on ovarian granulosa cells. Furthermore, the results of target-based approaches indicated that rutin, CGA, and GA could up-regulate the FSHR-aromatase pathway in ovarian granulosa cells. The stimulation of estrogen production by rat ovarian granulosa cells under the influence of the three compounds underwent a decline when the follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) was blocked by antibodies against the receptor, indicating the involvement of FSHR in the estradiol-stimulating activity of the three compounds. The effects of the three compounds on estrogen biosynthesis- related gene expression level were further confirmed by Western blot assay. Importantly, the MTT results showed that exposure of breast cancer cells to the three compounds resulted in reduction of cell viability, demonstrating the cytotoxicity of the three compounds. Collectively, rutin, chlorogenic acid and geniposidic acid may contribute to the therapeutic potential of GJE for the treatment of postmenopausal syndrome.
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Habronematid nematodes were collected from the stomachs of donkeys, Equus asinus L., in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang, China. After examination by light and scanning electron microscopy, Habronema muscae (Carter, 1861) and H. majus (Creplin, 1849) were identified. The morphology of our specimens representing H. muscae (Carter, 1861) agreed well with previous redescriptions in the shape of the lateral lips, origin of the lateral alae, ratio of left and right spicules, and number and arrangement of caudal papillae. However, H. majus (Creplin, 1849) differs from H. microstoma (Schneider, 1866) in the arrangement of the caudal papillae in the male. Moreover, molecular analysis also showed interspecific differences of 26.2-28.2% in ITS2 and 8.6-8.9% in cox1 between H. majus and H. microstoma, a divergence much higher than the known intraspecific variation of Habronema spp. (6.6-8.7% in ITS2; 0.2-2.2% in cox1). The results indicate that both H. microstoma (Schneider, 1866) and H. majus (Creplin, 1849) are valid species.
Subject(s)
Equidae/parasitology , Spiruroidea/classification , Animals , China , DNA, Ribosomal Spacer/genetics , Electron Transport Complex IV/genetics , Female , Genetic Variation , Male , Species Specificity , Spiruroidea/anatomy & histology , Spiruroidea/geneticsABSTRACT
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Erxian decoction (EXD), an empirical Chinese medicine formula, is effectively used in the clinical treatment of menopause-related symptoms in China. Previous data from our group show that EXD has steroidogenic effect on natural menopausal Sprague-Dawley-rats (SD-rats) as an animal model of menopause. However, the mechanistic studies on steroidogenic effects of EXD are still inadequate. Hence, the mechanisms of steroidogenic effects of EXD were studied in vitro and in vivo in this study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Menopause causes a decline of endocrine function and a series of symptoms. In this study, 16-20-month-old female SD rats with a low serum estradiol level were employed. Their endocrine functions after treatment with EXD (4.1g/kg) were assessed by determination of their serum estradiol level. Proteins involved in the steroidogenic pathway including StAR, 17ßHSD, 3ßHSD, aromatase, and activation of phosphorylated Protein Kinase B (p-Akt/PKB), as well as estradiol receptor proteins (ERα & ERß) after EXD treatment were analyzed. Kinase inhibition assay was conducted to confirm the mechanism of steroidogenic effects of EXD in vitro. MCF-7 and BT-483 cells were used to investigate whether EXD stimulated breast cancer cell proliferation. RESULTS: Results revealed a significantly ameliorated serum estradiol level, and a significantly increased expression of ovarian aromatase and PKB in the EXD-treated rats. EXD attenuated 17ß-estradiol stimulated proliferation of breast cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained from immunoblotting and measurements of serum estradiol level of the present investigation revealed that EXD may relieve the menopausal syndrome through an upregulation of ovarian aromatase and p-PKB expression without stimulating the growth of breast cancer cells.