Improving the Encapsulation Efficiency of Lipase in Molecular Cages and Its Application.

Here, lipase encapsulation is constructed by locking enzyme molecules in nanomolecular cages on the surface of SH-PEI@PVAC magnetic microspheres. To improve the encapsulation efficiency in enzyme loading, the thiol group is efficiently modified on the grafted polyethyleneimine (PEI) using 3-mercaptopropionic acid. N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms reveal the existence of mesoporous molecular cages on the microsphere surface. The robust immobilizing strength of carriers to lipase demonstrates the successful encapsulation of enzymes in nanomolecular cages. The encapsulated lipase shows high enzyme loading (52.9 mg/g) and high activity (51.4 U/mg). Different sizes of molecular cages are established, and the cage size showed important effects on lipase encapsulation. It shows that enzyme loading is low at a small size of molecular cages, which is attributed to that the nanomolecular cage is too small to house lipase. The investigation in lipase conformation suggests that the encapsulated lipase retains its active conformation. Compared with the adsorbed lipase, the encapsulated lipase shows higher thermal stability (4.9 times) and higher resistance to denaturants (5.0 times). Encouragingly, the encapsulated lipase shows high activity and reusability in lipase-catalyzed synthesis of propyl laurate, suggesting the potential application value of encapsulated lipase.

Serum Expression of IL-33 and ST2 in Patients with Psoriasis Vulgaris.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis vulgaris (PsV) is an immune-mediated skin disease of unknown mechanism. Interleukin 33 (IL-33) is a member of IL-1 cytokine family and suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (ST2) is the specific ligand of IL-33. It has been found that IL-33 and ST2 are increased in psoriatic lesions, but the expression levels in serum and their relationship to clinical features are still unclear. The aim of this study is to assess IL-33, ST2, IL-17 and IL-5 serum levels as well as serum concentration of blood glucose and blood lipids in PsV patients and their relationship with clinical characteristics. METHODS: Sixty-eight PsV samples and 60 healthy individuals were recruited. Serum levels of IL-33, ST2, IL-17 and IL-5 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and blood glucose and blood lipid were assayed by automatic biochemical analyzer. RESULTS: Serum levels of IL-33, ST2, IL-17 and IL-5 were increased significantly in PsV patients compared with controls (P<0.01). Cytokines were overexpressed in PsV patients during active stages compared with controls (P<0.05). Expression levels of IL-33, ST2 and IL-17 confirmed a significance in different severity groups of PsV patients (P<0.05). Serum concentration of triglyceride (TG) was also increased compared with controls (P=0.024). IL-33 levels were positively correlated with total cholesterol (TC) levels (r=0.319, P=0.008). CONCLUSION: IL-33/ST2 could generally reflect the activity and disease severity in PsV patients, which indicates that the IL-33/ST2 signaling pathway plays an important role in the pathogenesis of PsV.

[Screening and evaluation of saline-alkali-tolerant and growth-promoting bacteria].

Salinity is the most important factor for the growth of crops. It is an effective method to alleviate the toxic effect caused by salt stress using saline-alkali-tolerant and growth-promoting bacteria in agriculture. Seven salt-tolerant bacteria were screened from saline-alkali soil, and the abilities of EPS production, alkalinity reduction and IAA production of the selected strains were investigated. A dominant strain DB01 was evaluated. The abilities of EPS production, alkalinity reduction and IAA production of strain DB01 were 0.21 g/g, 8.7% and 8.97 mg/L, respectively. The isolate was identified as Halomonas aquamarina by partial sequencing analysis of its 16S rRNA genes, and had the ability to inhibit the growth of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp., Alternaria solani, Phytophthora sojae and Rhizoctonia cerealis. It also could promote root length and germination rate of wheat seedlings under salt stress. Halomonas aquamarina can provide theoretical basis for the development of soil microbial resources and the application in saline-alkali soil improvement.

[Microbial Community Succession in Industrial Composting with Livestock Manure and Peach Branches and Relations with Environmental Factors].

This study sets out to understand the evolution of the microbial community structure in industrial composting with livestock manure and peach branches. Pig manure, peach branches, and decomposed organic fertilizer were used as materials for composting. Changes in physical and chemical indicators and the evolution in the structure of the compost microbial community, determined by high-throughput sequencing, were analyzed. The results of physical and chemical parameters show that the pile reached the high-temperature stage on day 2, and the thermophilic period lasted for 30 days. The changes in total carbon were volatile, and there was an overall decline in the amount of TOC in the whole process of composting; The final content of TN was 20.58 g·kg-1, which was 5.90% lower compared to the initial compost. Alpha analysis indicated that a different microbial community diversity existed at different times during aerobic composting periods. At the bacterial phyla level, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria were the dominant phyla, and the proportion of relative abundance were 79.31%-95.09% and 2.98%-19.70%, respectively, in the entire compost. The relative abundance of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria were 87.36% and 9.66%, respectively, and their respective relative abundances were 79.38% and 19.70% at the end of composting. At the bacterial genus level, the dominant group changed from Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Terrisporobacter, and Bacillus to norank_f_Bacillaceae, Bacillus, Oceanbacillus, and Pseudogracilibacillus; Regarding the fungus phyla, the Ascomycota was the dominant phylum. For the fungus genus, the relative abundance of norank_c_Sordariomycetes gradually increased during composting, and finally was predominant group. The redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that the correlation rank between environmental factors and microbial community structure was:pH > NH4+-N > T > TOC > TN, where pH had the greatest impact on the microbial community composition. norank_c_Sordariomycetes, norank_o_Sordariales, and norank_c_Agaricomycetes may be related to the volatilization of ammonium nitrogen.

IL-33 contributes to disease severity in Psoriasis-like models of mouse.

Immune cells infiltrating the psoriatic skin secrete high amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-17, TNF-α, IL-21 and IL-36 resulting in chronic inflammation. However, the exact cellular and molecular mechanisms have not been fully understood. We report here elevation of IL-33 expression in psoriatic lesions. Studies in imiquimod (IMQ)-induced mice with psoriatic inflammation confirmed a critical role for IL-33 in driving the disease. IL-33 reduces the CD4+ and CD8+ cells, inhibits autophagy in IMQ-treated mouse skin, and promoted tyrosyl phosphorylation of STAT3. Thus, IL-33 appears to be a major risk factor for severity of psoriasis-like skin inflammation. Our findings may open new perspectives for understanding the mechanisms and developing a therapeutic strategy for psoriasis.

Endovascular Denervation: A New Approach for Cancer Pain Relief?

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of endovascular denervation (EDN) on abdominal cancer pain relief. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From April 2017 to February 2018, 7 cancer patients (2 males and 5 females) were enrolled in this study. The diagnoses of the patients included 3 pancreatic cancer, 2 cervical carcinoma, 1 cholangiocarcinoma, and 1 esophageal cancer with retroperitoneum lymph nodes invasion. Denervation was carried out at the abdominal aorta close to the origin of celiac artery and superior mesenteric artery with the use of a multielectrode radiofrequency ablation catheter with settings of time 120 seconds and temperature 60°C. The primary end point was improvement in pain scores. The secondary end points included change in quality of life, intake of narcotics, and the safety of EDN. RESULTS: All of the patients experienced pain relief. The pain scores as measured by means of visual analog scores at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after the procedure were significantly lower than before the operation (P < .001). A > 4 score reduction was observed in all cases. A significant reduction in narcotics use within 3 months after the operation was also seen. The quality of life scores of the patients improved significantly (P < .005) with better sleep. No severe treatment-related adverse events or major complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: EDN is a safe and effective means to alleviate pain caused by cancer and may serve as a new approach for cancer pain relief and palliative care.

Effects of Multi-Electrode Renal Denervation on Insulin Sensitivity and Glucose Metabolism in a Canine Model of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of multi-electrode catheter-based renal denervation (RDN) on insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism in a type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) canine model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-three dogs were divided equally into 3 groups: bilateral renal denervation (BRDN) group, left renal denervation (LRDN) group, and sham operation (SHAM) group. Body weight and blood biochemistry were measured at baseline, 20 weeks, and 32 weeks, and renal angiography and computerized tomographic (CT) angiography were determined before the procedure and 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months after the procedure. Western blot was used to identify the activities of gluconeogenic enzymes and insulin-signaling proteins. RESULTS: Fasting plasma glucose (9.64 ± 1.57 mmol/L vs 5.12 ± 1.08 mmol/L; P < .0001), fasting insulin (16.19 ± 1.43 mIU/mL vs 5.07 ± 1.13 mIU/mL; P < .0001), and homeostasis-model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR; 6.95 ± 1.33 vs 1.15 ± 0.33; P < .0001) in the BRDN group had significantly decreased at the 3-month follow-up compared with the SHAM group. Western blot analyses showed that RDN suppressed the gluconeogenetic genes, modulated insulin action, and activated insulin receptors-AKT signaling cascade in the liver. CT angiography and histopathologic analyses did not show any dissection, aneurysm, thrombus, or rupture in any of the renal arteries. CONCLUSIONS: These findings identified that multi-electrode catheter-based RDN could effectively decrease gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis, resulting in improvements in insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism in a T2DM canine model.

[Perception and attitude of rural community to the construction of Asian elephant conservation corridors in Xishuangbanna].

By using contingent valuation method (CVM), an investigation was made from November 2007 to March 2008 on the perception and attitude of 196 households in 5 villages within 2 planned Asian elephant conservation corridors in Xishuangbanna to the construction of the corridors. 80.61% of the interviewees conditionally supported the corridors construction. The main factors affecting the interviewees' support willingness included their education level, per capita income, and perceptions to Asian elephant protection, human-elephant relations, and corridor utilization patterns and its beneficiaries, among which, the interviewees' awareness of Asian elephant conservation, corridor utilization patterns, and corridor beneficiaries had strong influence on the support willingness, with the correlation coefficient being 0.231, 0.236, and -0.304, respectively. The rural community holding the land tenure played a key role in the corridors construction. To effectively design and planning the construction of biological conservation corridor, it is necessary to have a deep understanding on the perceptions and attitudes of rural community to the construction of the corridor and to obtain their support and participation for this construction.

A pilot study on the feasibility of interventional lung volume reduction.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of lung volume reduction by transbronchial alcohol and lipiodol suspension infusion with the aid of balloon-tipped catheter occlusion. Twenty-six healthy adult rabbits were divided into four treatment groups: alcohol and lipiodol suspension infusion (n = 8), lipiodol infusion (n = 8), alcohol infusion (n = 5), or bronchial lumen occlusion (n = 5). After selective lobar or segmental bronchial catheterization using a balloon-tipped occlusion catheter, the corresponding drug infusion was performed. Bone cement was used to occlude the bronchial lumen in the occlusion group. The animals were followed up for 10 weeks by chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT), and then the whole lungs were harvested for histological examination. Alcohol and lipiodol suspension or lipiodol could be stably retained in alveoli in the first two groups based on chest X-ray and CT, but obvious collapse only occurred in the group receiving alcohol and lipiodol suspension or the bronchial lumen occlusion group. Histological examination revealed damage and disruption of the alveolar epithelium and fibrosis in related lung tissue in the group receiving alcohol and lipiodol suspension. Similar changes were seen in the bronchial lumen occlusion group, apart from obvious marginal emphysema of the target areas in two animals. Interstitial pneumonia and dilated alveoli existed in some tissue in target areas in the lipiodol group, in which pulmonary fibrosis obliterating alveoli also occurred. Chronic alveolitis and pleural adhesion in target areas occurred in the group infused with alcohol alone, whereas visceral pleura of the other three groups was regular and no pleural effusion or adhesion was found. Alcohol and lipiodol suspension that is stably retained in alveoli can result in significant lung volume reduction. Through alcohol and lipiodol suspension infusion, obstructive emphysema or pneumonia arising from bronchial lumen occlusion could be avoided.

Sealing of type III endoleaks with ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer in a canine model.

PURPOSE: To test ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) as a sealing agent for persistent abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) endograft leaks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve dogs underwent creation of AAAs with a Palmaz P4014 stent. A 10-mm x 5-cm Wallgraft endoprosthesis with a 4-mm-diameter hole cut into its side was deployed within the AAA. One week later, computed tomography (CT) and angiography were performed and the aneurysm sac was catheterized through the 4-mm hole. Then, EVOH was injected into the sac and lumbar arteries. Four weeks thereafter, all surviving animals underwent repeat CT scanning and angiography and were then euthanized. The AAA underwent gross and microscopic study. RESULTS: Three dogs died from aortic rupture within 24 hours of AAA creation and the remaining nine dogs survived to receive EVOH. All nine dogs had persistent flow into the sac and lumbar arteries at the time of EVOH delivery. Seven dogs survived to the end of the experiment, and all aneurysm sacs and lumbar arteries remained occluded on angiography and CT. Histologic examination revealed EVOH and thrombus admixed, with thrombus in varying stages of organization filling the aneurysm sac and lumbar arteries. CONCLUSIONS: Embolization of type III endoleaks with EVOH proved to be feasible in a canine model. Further work is warranted to determine its therapeutic utility.

Evaluation of three polytetrafluoroethylene stent-grafts in a model of neointimal hyperplasia.

PURPOSE: The authors tested three different porosities of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE)-covered stents and bare stents by using an animal model of restenosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Both iliac arteries in 18 female pigs were injured by overdilating 20-mm-long angioplasty balloons. A 40-mm-long bare stent or one of three 44-mm-long ePTFE-covered stents was deployed at the injury site. To determine restenosis, neointimal area measurements were made with intravascular ultrasonography. Histologic analyses were performed at an independent laboratory to determine neointimal attachment. RESULTS: Neointimal area was greatest at the middle of the bare stent, where balloon injury was centered. When the middle location of the covered stents was evaluated, the neointimal area of both the medium- and high-porosity covered stents was smaller than that of the matched control stents (P = .0018 and P = .0118, respectively). The neointimal area of the low-porosity covered stents was similar to that of the bare stents. Histologic study showed dehiscence of the neointima of the low-porosity covered stents. CONCLUSIONS: The microstructure of the low-porosity covered stents did not provide a suitable surface for neointimal attachment and did not reduce neointimal growth compared to that with the control stents. The microstructure of the medium- and high-porosity covered stents yielded less neointimal growth than both the control stents and the low-porosity covered stents without evidence of neointimal dehiscence. The authors believe that covered stents made with ePTFE with either medium or high porosity could limit restenosis in humans compared to that with bare stents.

Ultrafine needle CO2 splenoportography: a comparative investigation with transarterial portography and MR portography.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and quality of CO2 splenoportography (CO2-SP) by comparison to 3-dimensional dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance portography (3D-DCE-MRP) and transarterial portography (TAP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: CO2-SP, 3D-DCE-MRP and TAP were performed within 3 days in 35 patients. CO2-SP was conducted with a 26G needle by puncture of spleen under fluoroscopy and/or ultrasound guidance. A fifty mm3 of CO2 was manually injected within 3s. The safety and the side effects of CO2-SP were assessed with a scoring system based on both the subjective feeling of patients questioned and the objective appearances of vital signs, electrocardiogram (ECG) and saturation of percutaneous blood oxygen (SpO2). The quality of the imaging was compared among the three groups using different methods by a scoring criterion based on visualization of the portal branches. RESULTS: Transient mild discomfortable reaction was present in 18 patients (51.4%). The scores measured for quality of portal vein branch visualization in the groups with CO2-SP, 3D-DCE-MRP and TAP were 226, 196 and 167, respectively (P<0.001, the higher of the scores, the better of the quality). The visibility of collateral veins was not significantly different amongst the three imaging techniques. CONCLUSION: Ultrafine needle CO2-SP is safe and minimally invasive. The quality of CO2-SP is better than that with 3D-DCE-MRP and TAP in terms of the visualizing portal vein branches.

90Y-oxine-ethiodol, a potential radiopharmaceutical for the treatment of liver cancer.

Ethiodol (or lipiodol) is selectively retained in hepatocellular carcinoma and is used as a vehicle to deliver radioactive agents following intraarterial hepatic infusion. We prepared the lipophilic complex 90Y-oxine with a radiolabeling efficiency of 97.6+/-1.1%. After extraction into ethiodol, a stability test in serum at 37 degrees C showed that 87.8% of the 90Y remained ethiodol-bound for 7 days. Bremsstrahlung imaging of a rabbit for 48 h confirmed that the homogeneous mixture of radiolabeled 90Y-oxine and ethiodol stayed in the targeted liver lobe. This radiopharmaceutical is thus a potential candidate for the treatment of non-resectable liver cancer.