Impacts of continuous quality improvement on wound pain in the puncture site of arteriovenous fistula in haemodialysis patient.

This study analyses the effects of a continuous quality improvement nursing model on wound pain at the arteriovenous fistula (AVF) puncture site in patients undergoing haemodialysis. Forty haemodialysis patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, from September 2020 to December 2022, were selected as study subjects. They were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group. The control group received conventional nursing care, while the observation group was treated with a continuous quality improvement nursing model. The study compared the impact of these nursing approaches on pain intensity post-AVF puncture, wound visual analogue scale scores, self-rating anxiety scale, self-rating depression scale, quality of life scores and patient satisfaction with nursing care. In the observation group, the proportion of patients experiencing moderate to severe pain during AVF puncture was lower than that in the control group, whereas the proportion of patients with no pain or mild pain was higher (P = 0.008). After nursing, the observation group exhibited significantly lower wound visual analogue scale scores, self-rating anxiety scale scores, and self-rating depression scale scores compared to the control group (P < 0.001), with a significantly higher quality of life score (P < 0.05). The nursing satisfaction rate was 95.00% in the observation group, significantly higher than the 65.00% in the control group (P = 0.018). The continuous quality improvement nursing model significantly reduces wound pain at the AVF puncture site in haemodialysis patients, alleviates negative emotions, enhances the quality of life, and achieves high patient satisfaction. It is thus a highly recommendable approach in nursing practice.

Load-bearing columns inspired fabrication of ductile and mechanically enhanced BSA hydrogels.

Currently, protein-based hydrogels are widely applied in soft materials, tissue engineering and implantable scaffolds owing to their excellent biocompatibility, and degradability. However, most protein-based hydrogels are soft brittle. In this study, a ductile and mechanically enhanced bovine serum albumin (BSA) hydrogel is fabricated by soaking the a 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride/N-hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS) induced BSA hydrogel in (NH4)2SO4 solution. An EDC/NHS coupling reaction induce protein coupling reactions that cause the BSA skeleton to resemble architectural load-bearing walls, protecting the integrity of the hydrogel and preventing collapse. The effects of the BSA and (NH4)2SO4 concentrations on the hydrogel mechanics are evaluated, and the possible strengthening mechanism is discussed. Besides, the highly kosmotropic ions greatly enhance the hydrophobic interaction within BSA gels and dehydration effect and their mechanical properties were significantly enhanced. The various mechanical properties of hydrogels can be regulated over a large window by soaking hydrogels into various ions. And most of them can be washed away, maintaining high biocompatibility of the protein. Importantly, the protein hydrogels prepared by this strategy could also be modified as strain sensors. In a word, this work demonstrates a new, universal method to provide multi-functional, biocompatible, strength enhanced and regulable mechanical pure protein hydrogel, combining the Hofmeister effect with -NH2/-COOH association groups.

Rheological behavior of xanthan gum suspensions with Fe-based nanoparticles: the effect of nanoparticles and the mechanism.

The rheological behavior of a xanthan gum (XG) suspension with Fe-based nanoparticles (Fe-NPs), e.g., nanoparticles of zerovalent iron (nZVI) and Fe3O4 (nFe3O4), needs to be understood for better injection of Fe-NPs for groundwater remediation. In this study, the rheological behavior of a XG suspension of nZVI and nFe3O4 was investigated at different particle concentrations. The Ostwald, Sisko, Williamson, and Cross models were employed to fit the rheological behavior of the suspensions for quantitatively describing the effect of the particles. The results showed that the viscosity of the XG solutions decreased with increasing particle concentrations and they maintained shear thinning properties. The Cross model was the best among the four models to describe the shear thinning behavior of the XG solution in the presence of the particles. According to Cross model analysis, increasing particle concentrations increased the degree of shear thinning behavior, as indicated by the increase of the power index (n). Also, the relaxation time (λ) decreased with increasing particle concentrations, which indicated an increase of molecule movement of XG. Compared with nFe3O4, nZVI resulted in a larger decrease in viscosity and a larger increase in the degree of shear thinning behavior. There was a good linear relation between n and λ for the suspensions (R2 = 0.85), which indicated that increasing molecule movement of XG was an important mechanism for the particles to intensify the shear thinning rheological behavior of the XG suspension of Fe-NPs. This study added insight into the knowledge of the rheological properties of the XG suspension of Fe-NPs, which is of importance for the field injection effort.

Functional extreme learning machine.

Introduction: Extreme learning machine (ELM) is a training algorithm for single hidden layer feedforward neural network (SLFN), which converges much faster than traditional methods and yields promising performance. However, the ELM also has some shortcomings, such as structure selection, overfitting and low generalization performance. Methods: This article a new functional neuron (FN) model is proposed, we takes functional neurons as the basic unit, and uses functional equation solving theory to guide the modeling process of FELM, a new functional extreme learning machine (FELM) model theory is proposed. Results: The FELM implements learning by adjusting the coefficients of the basis function in neurons. At the same time, a simple, iterative-free and high-precision fast parameter learning algorithm is proposed. Discussion: The standard data sets UCI and StatLib are selected for regression problems, and compared with the ELM, support vector machine (SVM) and other algorithms, the experimental results show that the FELM achieves better performance.

Solid-like Slippery Surface with Excellent Comprehensive Performance.

Slippery surfaces with outstanding slippery performances have shown application prospects in various fields, including anti-icing, antifouling, droplet transportation, and fog collection. However, practical application of the existing slippery surfaces is limited by lubricating oil loss, low water-slippery ability, low surface robustness, complex processes, and high costs. To overcome these limitations, we propose a facile, low-cost method to create a solid-like slippery Al surface (SSS-Al) by mixing hydrophobic nano-ceramic coating, silicone oil, and nano-SiO2, which shows excellent comprehensive performance. The SSS-Al shows exceptional water-slippery ability with a sliding angle of 5° and antifouling ability. Durability and chemical stability tests confirm the high surface durability and chemical stability of SSS-Al. Furthermore, SSS-Al exhibits anti-icing performance, fog collection ability, and electrochemical corrosion resistance, as well as demonstrates remarkable application prospects in important fields such as aerospace and shipbuilding.

γ-glutamylcysteine alleviates insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis by regulating adenylate cyclase and IGF-1R/IRS1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathways.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a complex metabolism disease, which was characterized by metabolic disorders including hyperglycemia, has become a major health problem due to the increasing prevalence worldwide. γ-glutamylcysteine (γ-GC) as an immediate precursor of glutathione (GSH) was originally used for the treatment of sepsis, inflammation bowel disease, and senescence. Here, we evaluated the capacity of γ-GC on diabetes-related metabolic parameters in db/db mice and insulin resistance (IR) amelioration in cells induced by palmitic acid (PA). Our data suggested that γ-GC treatment decreased body weight, reduced adipose tissue size, ameliorated ectopic fat deposition in liver, increased the GSH content in liver, improved glucose control and other diabetes-related metabolic parameters in vivo. Moreover, in vitro experiments showed that γ-GC could maintain the balance of free fatty acids (FFAs) and glucose uptake through regulating the translocation of CD36 and GLUT4 from cytoplasm to plasma membrane. Furthermore, our finding also provided evidence that γ-GC could activate Akt not only via adenylate cyclase (AC)/cAMP/PI3K signaling pathway, but also via IGF-1R/IRS1/PI3K signaling pathway to improve IR and hepatic steatosis. Blocking either of two signaling pathways could not activate Akt activation induced by γ-GC. This unique characteristic ensures the important role of γ-GC in glucose metabolism. Collectively, these results suggested that γ-GC could serve as a candidate dipeptide for the treatment of T2DM and related chronic diabetic complications via activating AC and IGF-1R/IRS1/PI3K/Akt signaling pathways to regulate CD36 and GLUT4 trafficking.

Enhancement of Energy Storage Performance of PMMA/PVDF Composites by Changing the Crystalline Phase through Heat Treatment.

In today's contemporary civilization, there is a growing need for clean energy focused on preserving the environment; thus, dielectric capacitors are crucial equipment in energy conversion. On the other hand, the energy storage performance of commercial BOPP (Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene) dielectric capacitors is relatively poor; hence, enhancing their performance has drawn the attention of an increasing number of researchers. This study used heat treatment to boost the performance of the composite made from PMAA and PVDF, combined in various ratios with good compatibility. The impacts of varying percentages of PMMA-doped PMMA/PVDF mixes and heat treatment at varying temperatures were systematically explored for their influence on the attributes of the blends. After some time, the blended composite's breakdown strength improves from 389 kV/mm to 729.42 kV/mm at a processing temperature of 120 °C. Consequently, the energy storage density is 21.12 J/cm3, and the discharge efficiency is 64.8%. The performance has been significantly enhanced compared to PVDF in its purest state. This work offers a helpful technique for designing polymers that perform well as energy storage materials.

Tetrastigma polysaccharide reprogramming of tumor-associated macrophages via PPARγ signaling pathway to play antitumor activity in breast cancer.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Tetrastigma Hemsleyanum Diels et Gilg (SYQ) is a typical She ethnomedicine that has been used in anti-tumor treatment in Chinese folklore. The polysaccharide of SYQ (SYQ-PA) has been reported to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, but the effect and mechanism on antitumor is still unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate the activity and mechanism of SYQ-PA against breast cancer in vitro and in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, different stages of MMTV-PYMT mice, which at 4-week-old and 8-week-old representative the transition from hyperplasia to late carcinoma, were used to investigate the potential effect of SYQ-PA of breast cancer development in vivo. The mechanism was explored with IL4/13-induced peritoneal macrophages model. Flow cytometry assay was employed to analysis the change of tumor microenvironment and the macrophages typing. The inhibition of the condition medium from macrophages on breast cancer cells was detected with xCELLigence system detection. The inflammation factors were tested with cytometric bead array. Co-culture system was used to detect the cell migration and invasion. In addition, the underlying mechanism was investigated using RNAseq analysis, Q-PCR and Western blot, and the PPARγ inhibitor was used to verify the mechanism. RESULTS: SYQ-PA significantly attenuated the process of breast primary tumor growth and reduced the infiltration of TAMs accompanied promoting the polarization of M1 phenotype in MMTV-PyMT mice. Then in vitro studies showed that SYQ-PA promoted macrophages polarization form IL4/13 induced M2 toward to the anti-tumor M1 phenotypes, and the conditioned medium (CM) from the induced macrophages inhibited the proliferation of breast cancer cells. At the same time, SYQ-PA treated macrophages inhibited the migration and invasion of 4T1 in the co-culture system. Further results indicated that SYQ-PA suppressed the release of anti-inflammatory factors and promoted the production of inflammatory cytokines which may induce M1 macrophage polarization and inhibit breast cancer cell proliferation. Subsequently, the underlying mechanism analysis based on RNAseq and molecular assays indicated that SYQ-PA inhibited PPARγ expression and regulated downstream NF-κB in macrophages. After treated with PPARγ inhibitor, T0070907, the effect of SYQ-PA was decreased, or even disappeared. As the downstream, the expression of ß-catenin was also inhibited obviously, those above all contribute the process of SYQ-PA induced M1 macrophages polarization. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, SYQ-PA was observed inhibited breast cancer, at least in part, via PPARγ activation- and ß-catenin-mediated M2 macrophages polarization. These data expound the antitumor effect and mechanism of SYQ-PA, and provide a possible that SYQ-PA can be used as an adjuvant drug for macrophage tumor immunotherapy in breast cancer.

Fabricating Oxidized Cellulose Sponge for Hemorrhage Control and Wound Healing.

Uncontrolled hemorrhage and infection are the main reasons for many trauma-related deaths in both clinic and battlefield. However, most hemostatic materials have various defects and side effects, such as low hemostatic efficiency, poor biocompatibility, weak degradation ability, and lack of antimicrobial properties. Herein, an oxidized cellulose (OC) sponge with antibacterial properties and biosafety was fabricated for hemorrhage control and wound healing. The as-prepared OC sponges were prone to water triggered expansion and superabsorbent capacity, which could facilitate blood component concentration effectively. Importantly, they had significant biodegradability with little irritation to the skin. This hemostat could also reduce the plasma clotting time to 53.54% in vitro and demonstrated less blood loss than commercially available hemostatic agents (GS) in a mouse model of bleeding from liver defects. Furthermore, the biocompatibility antimicrobial properties and possible hemostatic mechanism of the OC sponge were also systematically evaluated. Importantly, the potential wound healing applications have also been demonstrated. Therefore, the materials have broad clinical application prospects.

Analysis of heavy metals in the conversion of lake sediment and restaurant waste by black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens).

The risk posed by heavy metals makes it difficult to dispose of sediment contaminants from dredging lakes in China. Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) can convert organic waste, such as restaurant waste and lake sediment, to high-value-added protein feed and fertilizer. Experimental groups were formed in this study to explore the conversion of heavy metals present in the mixture of restaurant waste and lake sediment by black soldier fly larvae (BSFL). The results demonstrated that BSFL could survive in pure sediment with an 84.76% survival rate. Relative to the substrate, BSFL could accumulate 70-90% zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), and 20-40% cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb). The experimental group 2:3, with 40% lake sediment and 60% restaurant waste, was the best group after conversion for 15 days, which showed a 95.24% survival rate of BFSL, 82.20 mg average weight of BFSL, 8.92 mm average length of BFSL, with varying content of heavy metals such as Cu (43.22 mg/kg), Zn (193.31 mg/kg), Cd (1.58 mg/kg), Cr (25.30 mg/kg) Cr, and Pb (38.59 mg/kg) in BSFL. Furthermore, the conversion residue conforms to the relevant standards of organic fertilizer in China and can be used as organic fertilizer. Overall, the present study shows that black soldier flies can improve the resource utilization of lake sediment, especially by reducing the effect of heavy metals.

Panax notoginseng saponins normalises tumour blood vessels by inhibiting EphA2 gene expression to modulate the tumour microenvironment of breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS), the main active component of Panax notoginseng, can promote vascular microcirculation. PNS exhibits antitumor effects in various cancers. However, the molecular basis of the relationship between PNS and tumor blood vessels remains unclear. PURPOSE: To study the relationship between PNS inhibiting the growth and metastasis of breast cancer and promoting the normalization of blood vessels. METHODS: We performed laser speckle imaging of tumor microvessels and observed the effects of PNS on tumor growth and metastasis of MMTV-PyMT (FVB) spontaneous breast cancer in a transgenic mouse model. Immunohistochemical staining of Ki67 and CD31 was performed for tumors, scanning electron microscopy was used to observe tumor vascular morphology, and flow cytometry was used to detect tumor tissue immune microenvironment (TME). RNA-seq analysis was performed using the main vessels of the tumor tissues of the mice. HUVECs were cultured in tumor supernatant in vitro to simulate tumor microenvironment and verify the sequencing differential key genes. RESULTS: After treatment with PNS, we observed that tumor growth was suppressed, the blood perfusion of the systemic tumor microvessels in the mice increased, and the number of lung metastases decreased. Moreover, the vascular density of the primary tumor increased, and the vascular epidermis was smoother and flatter. Moreover, the number of tumor-associated macrophages in the tumor microenvironment was reduced, and the expression levels of IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α were reduced in the tumor tissues. PNS downregulated the expression of multiple genes associated with tumor angiogenesis, migration, and adhesion. In vitro tubule formation experiments revealed that PNS promoted the formation and connection of tumor blood vessels and normalized the vessel morphology primarily by inhibiting EphA2 expression. In addition, PNS inhibited the expression of tumor vascular marker proteins and vascular migration adhesion-related proteins in vivo. CONCLUSION: In this study, we found that PNS promoted the generation and connection of tumor vascular endothelial cells, revealing the key role of EphA2 in endothelial cell adhesion and tumor blood vessel morphology. PNS can inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of breast cancer by inhibiting EphA2, improving the immune microenvironment of breast cancer and promoting the normalization of tumor blood vessels.

Functional extreme learning machine for regression and classification.

Although Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) can learn thousands of times faster than traditional slow gradient algorithms for training neural networks, ELM fitting accuracy is limited. This paper develops Functional Extreme Learning Machine (FELM), which is a novel regression and classifier. It takes functional neurons as the basic computing units and uses functional equation-solving theory to guide the modeling process of functional extreme learning machines. The functional neuron function of FELM is not fixed, and its learning process refers to the process of estimating or adjusting the coefficients. It follows the spirit of extreme learning and solves the generalized inverse of the hidden layer neuron output matrix through the principle of minimum error, without iterating to obtain the optimal hidden layer coefficients. To verify the performance of the proposed FELM, it is compared with ELM, OP-ELM, SVM and LSSVM on several synthetic datasets, XOR problem, benchmark regression and classification datasets. The experimental results show that although the proposed FELM has the same learning speed as ELM, its generalization performance and stability are better than ELM.

Research on the application of the blended BOPPPS based on an online and offline mixed teaching model in the course of fermentation engineering in applied universities.

This study aimed to investigate the teaching effect of the blended BOPPPS based on an online and offline mixed teaching model ("B + BOPPPS") in the course of fermentation engineering in applied universities. The participants were 142 undergraduates majoring from the course of fermentation engineering in Food Science and Engineering in 2019 and 2020 in Huanghuai University, Zhumadian city, Henan province, China. The students in the control group (68 students) were taught in 2019, and the students in the experimental group (74 students) were taught in 2020. The traditional teaching method and "B + BOPPPS" were implemented, respectively. The teaching effect was evaluated using the questionnaire survey of course satisfaction and theoretical knowledge test. The results showed that the scores of the theoretical knowledge test in the experimental group adopting "B + BOPPPS" were significantly higher than those in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.01). The students had a good evaluation of the "B + BOPPPS" in many aspects, which included achieving learning goals, providing in-depth understanding of knowledge points, stimulating interest in learning, training in the ability to analyze and think about problems, and so on. The results suggested that "B + BOPPPS" could stimulate students' interest in learning and improve their subjective initiative. They could also improve students' ability to master and apply knowledge, which was conducive to improving the theoretical teaching quality of the course of fermentation engineering.

Insights into Nitrogen-doped Carbon for Oxygen Reduction: The Role of Graphitic and Pyridinic Nitrogen Species.

Nitrogen-doped carbons (N/Cs) manifest good catalytic performance for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for fuel cell systems. However, to date, controversies remain on the role of active sites in N/Cs. In the present study, ORR test was conducted on three N/Cs in O2 -saturated 0.1 M KOH aqueous solution, where apparent linear correlation between graphitic N contents and ORR activity was observed. Theoretical calculations demonstrated that graphitic N doping is energetically more favorable than that of pyridinic N doping for ORR and the pyridinic N leads to more preferential with 2 e- ORR pathway. These results reveal that graphitic N plays a key role in N/Cs mediated ORR activity. This work lays a solid foundation on identifying the active sites in heteroatom-doped carbons and can be exploited for rational design and engineering of effective carbon-based ORR catalysts.

γ-Glutamylcysteine rescues mice from TNBS-driven inflammatory bowel disease through regulating macrophages polarization.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the molecular mechanism of γ-glutamylcysteine (γ-GC) in response to inflammation in vivo and in vitro on regulating the polarization of macrophages. METHODS: The expressions of gene or protein were assessed by qPCR and Western blot assays, respectively. Cell viability was investigated by CCK-8 assay. Eight-week-old male BALB/c mice were established to examine the therapeutic effects of γ-GC in vivo. The release of TNF-α and IL-4 was determined by ELISA assay. Macrophages polarization was identified by flow cytometry assay. RESULTS: Our data showed that γ-GC treatment significantly improved the survival, weight loss, and colon tissue damage of IBD mice. Furthermore, we established M1- and M2-polarized macrophages, respectively, and our findings provided evidence that γ-GC switched M1/M2-polarized macrophages through activating AMPK/SIRT1 axis and inhibiting inflammation-related signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: Collectively, both in vivo and in vitro experiments suggested that γ-GC has the potential to become a promising novel therapeutic dipeptide for the treatment of IBD, which provide new ideas for the treatment of inflammatory diseases in the future.

Pollution Characteristics and Human Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Street Dust from a Typical Industrial Zone in Wuhan City, Central China.

This study aimed to assess the pollution levels, sources, and human health risks of heavy metals in street dust from a typical industrial district in Wuhan City, Central China. In total, 47 street dust samples were collected from the major traffic arteries and streets around Wuhan Iron and Steel (Group) Company (WISC) in Qingshan District, Wuhan. The concentrations of heavy metals (Cr, Mn, Ni, Zn, Fe, Cu, and Cd) in street dust were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Results indicated that the mean concentrations of Zn (249.71 mg/kg), Cu (51.15 mg/kg), and Cd (0.86 mg/kg) in street dust were higher than their corresponding soil background values in Hubei Province. Heavy metal enrichment is closely related to urban transportation and industrial production. The pollution level of heavy metals in street dust was assessed using the geo-accumulation method (Igeo) and potential ecological risk assessment (PERI). Based on the Igeo value, Cr, Mn, Fe, and Ni showed no pollution, Zn and Cu showed light to moderate contamination, and Cd showed moderate contamination. The PERI values of heavy metals in street dust ranged between 76.70 and 7027.28, which represents a medium to high potential ecological risk. Principal component analysis showed that the sources of heavy metals in street dust were mainly influenced by anthropogenic activities. Among the studied metals, Cu, Cr, Zn, Fe, and Mn mainly come from industrial processes, while Ni and Cd come from traffic exhaust. The non-carcinogenic risk indexes of heavy metals for children and adults are ranked as Cr > Cu > Ni > Cd > Zn. The health risks to children through the different exposure pathways are higher than those for adults. Hand-to-mouth intake is the riskiest exposure pathway for non-carcinogenic risk. In addition, Cr, Ni, and Cd do not pose a carcinogenic risk for the residents.

γ-Glutamylcysteine ameliorates D-gal-induced senescence in PC12 cells and mice via activating AMPK and SIRT1.

Aging is a natural process accompanied by inflammation and oxidative stress and is closely associated with age-related diseases. As a direct precursor of glutathione, γ-glutamylcysteine (γ-GC) possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties; however, whether γ-GC plays an important role in anti-aging remains unknown. Here, we investigated the protective effects and mechanisms of γ-GC in D-galactose (D-gal)-induced senescence in PC12 cells and aging mice. Our results showed that γ-GC treatment significantly reduced the percentage of senescence-associated-ß-galactosidase (SA-ß-Gal)-positive cells and inhibited D-gal-induced cell cycle arrest in PC12 cells. The results of Nissl and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining in mouse brain showed that γ-GC treatment markedly reversed the damage in the hippocampus of D-gal-induced aging mice. Moreover, γ-GC increased the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) to promote the nuclear translocation of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) while inhibiting the nuclear translocation of deleted in breast cancer 1 (DBC1), which leads to the activation of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and deacetylation of p53 in the nucleus. Therefore, γ-GC may be a potential therapeutic candidate compound for the prevention and treatment of age-related diseases.

Substantial transition to clean household energy mix in rural China.

The household energy mix has significant impacts on human health and climate, as it contributes greatly to many health- and climate-relevant air pollutants. Compared to the well-established urban energy statistical system, the rural household energy statistical system is incomplete and is often associated with high biases. Via a nationwide investigation, this study revealed high contributions to energy supply from coal and biomass fuels in the rural household energy sector, while electricity comprised ∼20%. Stacking (the use of multiple sources of energy) is significant, and the average number of energy types was 2.8 per household. Compared to 2012, the consumption of biomass and coals in 2017 decreased by 45% and 12%, respectively, while the gas consumption amount increased by 204%. Increased gas and decreased coal consumptions were mainly in cooking, while decreased biomass was in both cooking (41%) and heating (59%). The time-sharing fraction of electricity and gases (E&G) for daily cooking grew, reaching 69% in 2017, but for space heating, traditional solid fuels were still dominant, with the national average shared fraction of E&G being only 20%. The non-uniform spatial distribution and the non-linear increase in the fraction of E&G indicated challenges to achieving universal access to modern cooking energy by 2030, particularly in less-developed rural and mountainous areas. In some non-typical heating zones, the increased share of E&G for heating was significant and largely driven by income growth, but in typical heating zones, the time-sharing fraction was <5% and was not significantly increased, except in areas with policy intervention. The intervention policy not only led to dramatic increases in the clean energy fraction for heating but also accelerated the clean cooking transition. Higher income, higher education, younger age, less energy/stove stacking and smaller family size positively impacted the clean energy transition.

Roles of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway related microRNAs in esophageal cancer.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, noncoding, single-stranded small RNAs that regulate expression of tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes and are involved in almost all tumor-related processes. MiRNA dysregulation plays an important role in the occurrence and development of esophageal cancer through specific signal pathways, including the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, and is closely related to the malignant characteristics of esophageal cancer. The interaction between miRNAs and the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, which is specifically expressed in esophageal cancer tissues, shows potential as a new biomarker and therapeutic target. This article reviews the role of miRNAs related to the Wnt pathway in the carcinogenesis of esophageal carcinoma and its role in Wnt signal transduction. The content of this review can be used as the basis for formulating or improving the treatment strategy of esophageal cancer.

L-theanine prevents progression of nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis by regulating hepatocyte lipid metabolic pathways via the CaMKKß-AMPK signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: L-theanine, a non-protein amino acid was found principally in the green tea, has been previously shown to exhibit potent anti-obesity property and hepatoprotective effect. Herein, we investigated the effects of L-theanine on alleviating nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis in vitro and in vivo, and explored the underlying molecular mechanism. METHODS: In vitro, HepG2 and AML12 cells were treated with 500 µM oleic acid (OA) or treated with OA accompanied by L-theanine. In vivo, C57BL/6J mice were fed with normal control diet (NCD), high-fat diet (HFD), or HFD along with L-theanine for 16 weeks. The levels of triglycerides (TG), accumulation of lipid droplets and the expression of genes related to hepatocyte lipid metabolic pathways were detected in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: Our data indicated that, in vivo, L-theanine significantly reduced body weight, hepatic steatosis, serum levels of alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), TG and LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) in HFD-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) mice. In vitro, L-theanine also significantly alleviated OA induced hepatocytes steatosis. Mechanic studies showed that L-theanine significantly inhibited the nucleus translocation of sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c) through AMPK-mTOR signaling pathway, thereby contributing to the reduction of fatty acid synthesis. We also identified that L-theanine enhanced fatty acid ß-oxidation by increasing the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) and carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 A (CPT1A) through AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Furthermore, our study indicated that L-theanine can active AMPK through its upstream kinase Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase-ß (CaMKKß). CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our findings suggested that L-theanine alleviates nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis by regulating hepatocyte lipid metabolic pathways via the CaMKKß-AMPK signaling pathway.