Determination of calcium ß­hydroxy-ß-methylbutyrate content in special medical formula food and sports nutrition food by solid-phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography.

Calcium ß­hydroxy-ß-methylbutyrate (CaHMB) can promote muscle growth, prevent muscle atrophy, and enhance immunity, therefore, it is widely used as a nutritional supplement in special medical formula food and sports nutrition food. Many methods for the detection of CaHMB have been reported, but the pretreatment method for these reported literatures directly involves extraction using hydrochloric acid solution, without any purification steps. A method for accurately determining CaHMB in special medical formula food and sports nutrition food was established for the first time using solid-phase extraction (SPE) purification and high-performance liquid chromatography method (HPLC). The samples were extracted and precipitated protein using methanol-water solution, purified using SPE method and analyzed by HPLC on diode array detector (DAD) mode under external standard method. The method obtained excellent calibration linearity (r2>0.9993) and a satisfactory analysis of the targeted compound, which were evaluated with calibration standards over the range of 0.020-2.00 mg/mL. The limit of quantifications (LOQs), which defined as the lowest spiking level, were set at 0.4 g/100 g (special medical formula food) and 1.0 g/100 g (sports nutrition food). The average recoveries were within 92.9-104% for the analytes, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were below 3.93%, measured at low, medium, and high concentrations. Moreover, the positive sample analysis results indicated that CaHMB was detected on 10 real special medical formula food and sports nutrition food products, the contents of which were generally consistent with their labeled values, with measured values ranging from 97.1 % to 119 % of the labeled values. These results suggested that the developed highly sensitive and specific method is highly feasible for monitoring of the target analyte in special medical formula food and sports nutrition food.

Epitaxy of Antimonene Thin Films with Screw Dislocations for the Application of Saturable Absorbers.

The exotic optoelectronic properties of antimonene, including strain-induced tunable bandgaps, broad nonlinear refractive response, etc., have evoked profound upsurges for decades. As the screw dislocations break the crystal symmetry and modify interlayer coupling, it is highly desirable to investigate the optical prospects of antimonene with screw dislocations. Herein, controllable epitaxy of spiral ß-antimonene is achieved on Fe3GaTe2 substrates. By fine-tuning growth temperatures, the evolutions of spiral ß-antimonene with non-centrosymmetric stacking are investigated via scanning tunneling microscopy. The effects of interfacial strain and dislocation motion during screw-dislocation-driven growth are also studied. Additionally, a modulation depth of 40.8% and mode locking at 1558 nm with a pulse width of 290 fs are observed in Er-doped pulsed fiber lasers generated with spiral Sb-based saturable absorbers, revealing superior performance that far outstrips reported Sb-based saturable absorbers to date. Our work sheds light on the preparation of Sb films with screw dislocations and demonstrates a promising approach toward fabricating ultrafast optical devices.

Mobile App for Gynecologic Cancer Support for Patients With Gynecologic Cancer Receiving Chemotherapy in China: Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients with gynecologic cancer receiving chemotherapy often report unmet supportive care needs. Compared with traditional face-to-face clinical interventions, mobile health can increase access to supportive care and may address patients' needs. Although app-based support programs have been developed to support patients with gynecologic cancer, their efficacy has not been adequately tested. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of a mobile app for gynecologic cancer support (MGCS) for patients with gynecologic cancer receiving chemotherapy in China. METHODS: A multicenter randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2 university-affiliated hospitals in China. A total of 168 Chinese patients with gynecologic cancer were recruited and randomized to receive routine care or MGCS program plus routine care for 24 weeks. The Mishel uncertainty in illness theory guided the development of MGCS program, which has 4 modules: weekly topics, emotional care, discussion center, and health consultation. The primary outcome of this program was the assessment of the uncertainty in illness. The secondary outcomes were quality of life, symptom distress, and social support. All health outcomes were evaluated at baseline (T0), 12 weeks (T1), and 24 weeks (T2). Repeated measures analysis of covariance was used to assess the efficacy of the MGCS program. RESULTS: In this trial, 67 patients in the control group and 69 patients in the intervention group completed 2 follow-up assessments (response rate, 136/168, 81%). At 12 weeks, no significant differences were observed in any of the health outcomes between the 2 groups. At 24 weeks, compared to patients in the control group, those in the intervention group reported significant decreased uncertainty in illness (P<.001; d=-0.60; adjusted mean difference -7.69, 95% CI -11.31 to -4.07) and improved quality of life (P=.04; d=0.30; adjusted mean difference 4.77, 95% CI 0.12-9.41). CONCLUSIONS: The MGCS program demonstrated efficacy in supporting patients with gynecologic cancer receiving chemotherapy. This trial illustrates that an app-based program can be incorporated into routine care to support patients with cancer and suggests that allocation of more resources (grants, manpower, etc) to mobile health in clinics is warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2000033678; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=54807.

Investigation into the prevalence of enterotoxin genes and genetic background of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from retain foods in Hangzhou, China.

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus expresses numerous toxins, many of which are strongly believed to be responsible for specific symptoms and even diseases, making it significant in the pathogenesis of human health. Enterotoxins, which are vital toxins, are associated with foodborne illnesses that manifest through symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea. In the present study, 264 S. aureus isolates obtained from various retail foods in Hangzhou, China were further investigated the profiles of enterotoxin genes and genetic backgrounds. RESULTS: Approximately, 64.02% of the isolates from diverse sources contained at least one Staphylococcal Enterotoxin (SE) genes, displaying a total of 36 distinct combinations. Enterotoxin gene cluster (egc) encoded enterotoxin genes, normally designated by seg, sei, sem, sen, seo and selu, plus with sep were more frequently detected (33.73%, each). In contrast, see, ses and set were absent in any of the isolates tested. A total of 44 sequence types (STs), 20 clonal complexes (CCs) and 66 different staphylococcal protein A (spa) types (including six novel types) were identified among those 169 SE-positive isolates. Moreover, nineteen methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates were identified. The majority of those isolates belonged to the CC59-Sccmec IVa cluster and carried the seb-sek-seq gene cluster. The egc cluster, either coexisting with or without other enterotoxin genes, was observed in all isolates allocated into CC5, CC9, CC20, CC25, CC72 and ST672. Irrespective of the spa types and origins of the food, it appeared that seh was a distinct genetic element present in isolates belonging to the CC1 clonal lineage. CONCLUSIONS: The results not only proposed a suspected relationship between distribution of enterotoxigenic strains and genetic backgrounds, but also attributed the presence of novel enterotoxins to potential hazards in food safety.

Effects of salinity and particle size on radium desorption from river sediments in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Natural radium isotopes have been widely used to study groundwater discharge in different systems. Therefore, it is of great significance to understand the desorption behavior of radium isotopes on sediments to trace water-land exchange processes. However, there is very limited studies observing the desorption Ra isotopes to lake water of the brine lake. 224Ra desorption experiments with different salinities and particle sizes were carried out by collecting samples of brackish water from Qinghai Lake, brine from Dabuxun Lake and river sediments entering the lakes. The results show that the desorption activity of 224Ra from the river sediments to lake water of Qinghai Lake is 0.2 dpm/g when the salinity is 10.07‰. The maximum desorption activity of 224Ra from river sediments to lake water of Dabuxun Lake is 0.195 dpm/g at a salinity of 40.81‰. A salinity of 41.81‰ and particle size of 16.28 µm are the threshold points affecting the desorption behavior of Ra. When the salinity is less than 40.81‰, the desorption activity of Ra increases linearly with increasing salinity. When the salinity is greater than 40.81‰, the desorption activity of Ra decreases nonlinearly with increasing salinity and tends toward a stable low value. When the particle size is larger than 16.28 µm, the small particle size promotes desorption. The smaller the particle size is, the greater the desorption activity is. When the particle size is less than 16.28 µm, the small particle size inhibits desorption. The smaller the particle size is, the smaller the desorption activity. The co-precipitation of Ra2+ with supersaturated Ca2+, SO42- and other ions may be the main reason for the threshold point of salinity and particle size in Ra desorption process in salt lake system.

Tetramethylpyrazine blocks TFAM degradation and up-regulates mitochondrial DNA copy number by interacting with TFAM.

The natural small molecule compound: 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine (TMP), is a major component of the Chinese medicine Chuanxiong, which has wide clinical applications in dilating blood vessels, inhibiting platelet aggregation and treating thrombosis. Recent work suggests that TMP is also an antitumour agent. Despite its chemotherapeutic potential, the mechanism(s) underlying TMP action are unknown. Herein, we demonstrate that TMP binds to mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) and blocks its degradation by the mitochondrial Lon protease. TFAM is a key regulator of mtDNA replication, transcription and transmission. Our previous work showed that when TFAM is not bound to DNA, it is rapidly degraded by the ATP-dependent Lon protease, which is essential for mitochondrial proteostasis. In cultured cells, TMP specifically blocks Lon-mediated degradation of TFAM, leading to TFAM accumulation and subsequent up-regulation of mtDNA content in cells with substantially low levels of mtDNA. In vitro protease assays show that TMP does not directly inhibit mitochondrial Lon, rather interacts with TFAM and blocks degradation. Pull-down assays show that biotinylated TMP interacts with TFAM. These findings suggest a novel mechanism whereby TMP stabilizes TFAM and confers resistance to Lon-mediated degradation, thereby promoting mtDNA up-regulation in cells with low mtDNA content.

Downregulation of TFAM inhibits the tumorigenesis of non-small cell lung cancer by activating ROS-mediated JNK/p38MAPK signaling and reducing cellular bioenergetics.

Mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) is essential for the replication, transcription and maintenance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The role of TFAM in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains largely unknown. Herein, we report that downregulation of TFAM in NSCLC cells resulted in cell cycle arrest at G1 phase and significantly blocked NSCLC cell growth and migration through the activation of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced c-Jun amino-terminal kinase(JNK)/p38 MAPK signaling and decreased cellular bioenergetics. We further found that TFAM downregulation in NSCLC cells led to increased apoptotic cell death and enhanced the sensitivity of NSCLC cells to cisplatin. Tissue microarray (TMA) data showed that elevated expression of TFAM was related to the histological grade and TNM stage of NSCLC patients. We also demonstrated that TFAM is an independent prognostic factor for overall survival of NSCLC patients. Taken together, our findings suggest that TFAM could serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker and molecular target for the treatment of NSCLC, as well as for prediction of the effectiveness of chemotherapy.

[Clinical observation on the influence of earthquake crush injury on postoperative wound healing of extremity fractures].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the influence of earthquake crush injury on postoperative wound healing of extremity fractures. METHODS: The study involved 85 patients with extremities fracture underwent internal fixation operation in 3 group, including 28 earthquake casualties with crush injuries in observation group, 27 earthquake casualties without crush injuries in control I group and 30 local patients during the same period in control II group. Urine routine, blood creatine kinase (CK) and wound conditions of patients in 3 groups were observed respectively. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in Urine routine and blood CK between 3 groups and was significant difference in wound conditions between observation group and each control group. CONCLUSION: Earthquake crush injuries can influence the postoperative wound healing of extremity fractures.