One-step synthesis of a ZIF-8/90-based type I porous liquid.

A Type I porous liquid based on the mixed-linker zeolitic imidazolate framework, ZIF-8/90-PL, has been prepared by a one-step imine condensation reaction and characterized by X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, TGA and rheology analysis. This facile preparation strategy of a porous liquid has enormous industrial production and application potential, with over one kilogram of ZIF-8/90-PL being successfully prepared. ZIF-8/90-PL can be directly used as a liquid absorbent or be co-processed with alumina hollow fibers to form a composite membrane with improved selectivity in the context of CO2 separation from CH4 or N2. This simple synthesis method is expected to be extended to other metal-organic frameworks.

Comprehensive metabolite analysis of wheat dough in a continuous heating process.

Comprehensive metabolite analysis was carried out by gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry to investigate the time-dependent metabolic changes during wheat dough heating. Thirty-five volatile metabolites comprising alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, aromatic compounds, furans, acids and esters were identified. Sixty-four non-volatile metabolites, which covered a broad spectrum of polar and non-polar constituents, were also identified and quantified. Results showed that the content of most volatile metabolites increased during heating. Meanwhile, the levels of non-volatile polar metabolites, such as sugar and amino acid, increased and the levels of non-volatile non-polar metabolites decreased or remained constant, including fatty acid methyl ester and free fatty acids. PCA results demonstrated that metabolic changes could be reflected by time-dependent shifts in the PCA loading scores during heating. Analysis of the loadings further showed that most volatile metabolites and non-volatile polar metabolites were the major contributors of the heating time-driven changes during heating. Furthermore, lipid oxidation mainly occurred in the residues of oleic acid and linoleic acid of triglycerides.

A Predictive Model for the Risk of Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Gallstones.

OBJECTIVES: Gallstones can cause malnutrition in patients and further lead to cognitive impairment. This study is aimed at constructing a validated clinical prediction model for evaluating the risk of developing cognitive impairment from gallstones. METHODS: The study was a single-centre crosssectional study. Four models or methods (SVM-RFE, random forest model, Lasso model, and logistics analysis) were analyzed and compared regarding their predictive performance. The model with the best classification performance and predictive power was selected. The AUC index, C-index, and calibration curves were applied to the chosen model to further evaluate its classification and prediction performance. Finally, the nomogram was plotted, and the clinical usability, efficacy, and safety of the nomogram were assessed using decision curve analysis (DCA). RESULTS: This study included a total of 294 patients with gallstones, of which 110 had cognitive impairment. Factors such as gender, age, education, place of birth, history of alcohol consumption, abdominal circumference, sarcopenia, diabetes, anaemia, depression, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were incorporated into the model for nomogram construction. The calibration curve showed that the nomogram had good classification performance. Furthermore, the C-index of the model was 0.778 (95% CI, 0.674-0.882) in the test group. The DCA curves indicated that the constructed model had strong clinical applicability, efficacy, and safety. CONCLUSIONS: This study constructed a cognitive impairment risk prediction model for patients with gallstones with good classification and predictive power. The constructed predictive model allows us to screen patients with gallstones and at high risk of cognitive impairment. These efforts might also help to further increase patient compliance, assist healthcare professionals to better manage patients with gallstones, and ultimately improve their overall health status and quality of life. Future clinical studies should further evaluate the accuracy and clinical usability of this model.

NFKB1-mediated downregulation of microRNA-106a promotes oxidative stress injury and insulin resistance in mice with gestational hypertension.

This study intended to investigate the role of NFKB1 in oxidative stress injury and insulin resistance in gestational hypertension (GH) mice. Following establishment of a GH mouse model by high-fat diet, NFKB1, miR-106a, and FLOT2 expression was detected in liver of mice. After NFKB1, miR-106a, and FLOT2 were altered in GH mice by lentiviral vector, oxidative stress markers in liver tissues were examined by colorimetry, and insulin resistance was assessed by fasting blood glucose and fasting insulin levels. Next, hepatocytes were isolated from GH mice and treated with miR-106a mimic, inhibitor or siRNA, followed by determination of hepatocyte apoptosis and the expression of inflammation- and apoptosis-related factors. Evaluation of the correlations among NFKB1, miR-106a, and FLOT2 were conducted. Liver of GH mice harbored NFKB1 and FLOT2 upregulation and miR-106a downregulation. miR-106a was transcriptionally inhibited by NFKB1, and negatively targeted FLOT2. Oxidative stress injury and insulin resistance in GH mice and apoptosis and inflammation of hepatocytes from GH mice were decreased after silencing NFKB1 or FLOT2 or overexpressing miR-106a. These findings provided evidence demonstrating the inhibitory effect of NFKB1 silencing on oxidative stress injury and insulin resistance in GH mice via miR-106a upregulation and FLOT2 downregulation.

Physcion, a naturally occurring anthraquinone derivative, induces apoptosis and autophagy in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

AIM: Physcion is a major bioactive ingredient in the traditional Chinese medicine Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, which has an anthraquinone chemical structure and exhibits a variety of pharmacological activities including laxative, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-proliferative effects. In this study we investigated the effect of physcion on human nasopharyngeal carcinoma in vitro and in vivo, as well as the mechanisms underlying the anti-tumor action. METHODS: The nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line CNE2 was treated with physcion, and cell viability was detected using MTT and colony formation assays. Flow cytometry was used to assess the cell cycle arrest, mitochondrial membrane potential loss, apoptosis, autophagy and intracellular ROS generation. Apoptotic cell death was also confirmed by a TUNEL assay. The expression of target or marker molecules was determined using Western blotting. The activity of caspase-3, 8, and 9 was detected with an ELISA kit. A xenograft murine model was used to evaluate the in vivo anti-tumor action of physcion, the mice were administered physcion (10, 20 mg·kg-1·d-1, ip) for 30 d. RESULTS: Treatment with physcion (5, 10, and 20 µmol/L) dose-dependently suppressed the cell viability and colony formation in CNE2 cells. Physcion (10 and 20 µmol/L) dose-dependently blocked cell cycle progression at G1 phase and induced both caspase-dependent apoptosis and autophagy in CNE2 cells. Furthermore, physcion treatment induced excessive ROS generation in CNE2 cells, and subsequently disrupted the miR-27a/ZBTB10 axis, resulting in repression of the transcription factor Sp1 that was involved in physcion-induced apoptosis and autophagy. Moreover, physcion-induced autophagy acted as a pro-apoptotic factor, and possibly contributed to physcion-induced apoptosis. In the xenograft murine model, administration of physcion dose-dependently suppressed the tumor growth without affecting the body weight. Furthermore, the anti-tumor effects of physcion were correlated with downregulation of Sp1 and suppression of miR-27a in the tumor tissues. CONCLUSION: Physcion induces apoptosis and autophagy in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma by targeting Sp1, which was mediated by ROS/miR-27a/ZBTB10 signaling. The results suggest that physcion is a promising candidate for the treatment of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Biosynthesis of selenium rich exopolysaccharide (Se-EPS) by Pseudomonas PT-8 and characterization of its antioxidant activities.

Biosynthesis of organo-selenium is achieved by submerged fermentation of selenium-tolerant Pseudomonas PT-8. The end product of metabolic process is selenium-bearing exopolysaccharide (Se-EPS), which contains a higher content of uronic acid than the exopolysaccharide (EPS) by the strain without selenium in the culture medium. Selenium content in Se-EPS reached a maximum yield of 256.7 mg/kg when using an optimized culture condition. Crude Se-EPS was purified into two fractions-a pH neutral Se-EPS-1 and an acidic Se-EPS-2. Structure and chemical composition of Se-EPS-2 were investigated by chromatographic analyses. Results showed that Se-EPS-2 was a homogenous polysaccharide with molecular weight of 7.3 kDa, consisting of monosaccharides, rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, mannose, glucose and galactose with a molar ratio of 19.58:19.28:5.97:18.99:23.70:12.48, respectively. Compared to the EPS, the content of rhamnose in Se-EPS increased and molecular weight decreased. The Se-EPS had strong scavenging actions on DPPH•, •OH and •O2(-), which is much higher than the EPS.

Effects of stellate ganglion block on cardiovascular reaction and heart rate variability in elderly patients during anesthesia induction and endotracheal intubation.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of stellate ganglion block (SGB) on cardiovascular response and heart rate (HR) variability in elderly patients during anesthesia induction and endotracheal intubation. DESIGN: A randomized, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled study. SETTING: University-affiliated teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty elderly patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grades I and II) receiving elective surgery during general anesthesia. INTERVENTIONS: Right stellate ganglion injection (SGB) was performed in all patients using 10 mL of 1% lidocaine or normal saline. MEASUREMENTS: Systolic blood pressure (BP), diastolic BP, HR, and calculated rate pressure product. HR variability at the following time points: conscious status before induction (T0); immediately before intubation (T1); immediately after intubation (T2); and 1, 3, and 5 minutes postintubation (T3, T4, and T5). MAIN RESULTS: No significant differences in BP and HR were observed between the 2 groups. Rate pressure product values significantly increased in the control group compared with baseline and SGB group values. Low-frequency power (LF) and LF/high-frequency power (HF) significantly increased, and HF and normalized units of HF significantly decreased in the control group compared with baseline values. LF, normalized units of LF, and LF/HF in the SGB group significantly decreased compared with those of the control group. CONCLUSION: SGB protects the myocardium and effectively suppresses stress responses during anesthesia induction and tracheal intubation in elderly patients.

[The research progress of p38 MAPK and allergic rhinitis].

Allergic rhinitis is a kind of nasal mucosal chronic noninfectious inflammatory disease, which is caused by an imbalance in the body cytokine network,a number of intracellular signaling pathways being actived. Many studies have shown that mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) involved in the activation process of allergic rhinitis. p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), as one kind of that, plays a key role in the process of inflammatory cells proliferation and differentiation, as well as production of inflammatory cytokines, and involved in airway inflammatory mechanisms of chronic airway disease. In vitro experiments have confirmed that p38 MAPK inhibitors have anti-inflammatory effect by blocking the downstream related response.

Effects of carbohydrate sources on biosorption properties of the novel exopolysaccharides produced by Arthrobacter ps-5.

The crude exopolysaccharides (EPSs) were obtained from Arthrobacter ps-5 fermentation using various carbohydrate sources followed by centrifugation, ethanol precipitation, and the isolated EPSs were further deproteinized and lyophilized. Carbohydrates from various sources resulted in different yield of EPSs from the fermentation and different molecular weight of EPSs. A maximum yield of 0.27 mg/g was achieved by using the culture medium supplemented with sucrose. The EPS produced by glucose-supplemented medium had the maximum content of acidic polysaccharides, subsequently presented the highest biosorption capacity for Cu(2+) and Pb(2+) at 257.9 mg/g and 331.8 mg/g, respectively. The ratio of acidic to neutral polysaccharides presented in EPSs was a key factor to explicate the biosorption mechanism, the higher the ratio, the stronger the biosorption capacity.

Flurbiprofen axetil enhances analgesic effect of fentanyl associated with increase in ß-endorphin levels.

PURPOSE: To examine the analgesic effect of preoperative administration of flurbiprofen axetil and that of postoperative administration of a combination of flurbiprofen axetil and fentanyl, as well as perioperative plasma ß-endorphin (ß-EP) levels in patients undergoing esophagectomy. METHODS: Forty-five patients were randomly divided into three groups: group A: 100 mg flurbiprofen axetil preoperative, 10 µg/kg fentanyl + 10 ml placebo postoperative; group B: 100 mg flurbiprofen axetil preoperative, 10 µg/kg fentanyl + 100 mg flurbiprofen axetil postoperative; group C: 10 ml placebo preoperative, 10 µg/kg fentanyl + 10 ml placebo postoperative. Postoperative analgesia was achieved by intravenous infusion containing flurbiprofen axetil and/or fentanyl at 2.0 ml/h (total volume, 100 ml) using infusion pumps. The ß-EP was measured at preanesthesia (T(1)), the end of surgery (T(2)), 24 h (T(3)), and 48 h (T(4)) after surgery. Visual analog scale scores (VAS) at T3, T4 (at rest), and rescue analgesic tramadol requirement was recorded. RESULTS: The VAS of group B was significantly lower than group A and C (P < 0.01) at T(3) and T(4). The ß-EP levels at T(2)-T(4) in group A did not differ significantly from those at T(1) (P > 0.05); however, the ß-EP levels in group B at T(3)-T(4) increased significantly (P < 0.05), while those in group C increased at T(2) and decreased at T(4) (P < 0.05). The ß-EP levels in group B at T(3) and T(4) were the highest as compared to its levels in groups A and C (P < 0.01). Tramadol consumption in group B was significantly lower than in groups A and C (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: These results show that flurbiprofen axetil enhances the analgesic effect of fentanyl associated with increase in ß-EP levels.

Qualitative and quantitative thrombin analysis in serum using aptamers and gold nanoparticles through progressive dilution.

It has been a long-standing challenge in bioassay using aptamers and gold nanoparticles to detect disease-related proteins and other substance directly in complex biological samples such as serum. Here we propose a progressive dilution (PD) method to achieve simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysis of proteins in blood serum without pretreatment of the sample. Above the detection limit, PD has unlimited dynamic range. We demonstrate the PD strategy through the detection of thrombin in fetal bovine serum using the quenching of fluorescence by gold nanoparticles.

[Protective effect of ulinastatin on lung injury induced by simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation in piglet].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of ulinastatin (UTI) on lung injury induced by simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation in piglet. METHODS: With reproduction of simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation model in piglets, 12 couples of piglets were randomly divided into two groups (n=12). Piglets in UTI group were given a constant infusion of UTI 15 kU x kg(-1) x h(-1) by means of a pump during operation. Control group were treated with constant pumped infusion of 0.9% saline in equal volume. The blood samples were collected to measure the plasma concentrations of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) before operation (baseline levels, T0), at the time of re-establishment of circulation with successful an anastomosis of arteries and veins (T1), at 1 hour and 2 hours after re-establishment of circulation (T2 and T3), and at the end of operation (T4). The pathological changes in the lungs were examined. RESULTS: In control group, plasma MDA concentration was significantly increased from T1 till T4 as compared with T0 (all P<0.05), whereas in group UTI it did not change significantly (all P>0.05). In group UTI, SOD activity was significantly increased at T1-2 and T4 as compared with T0 (all P<0.05), whereas in control group it did not change significantly (all P>0.05). The plasma MDA concentration was significantly decreased at T1 and T2, and SOD activity was increased at T2 in group UTI than those in control group (all P<0.05). In control group, plasma TNF-alpha concentration was significantly increased from T2 to T4 as compared with T0 (all P<0.05), whereas it did not change significantly in group UTI (all P>0.05). The plasma IL-8 concentration was significantly decreased at T1-2 and T4 in group UTI compared with those in control group (both P<0.05). CONCLUSION: UTI can inhibit neutrophil aggregation in lungs and expression of harmful inflammatory cytokines, and it reduces production of oxygen free radical, so that it can protect lung tissue from injury induced by simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation.

Effects of antidigoxin antiserum on endoxin levels, apoptosis and the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 protein in ischaemia-reperfusion myocardium.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of antidigoxin antiserum (ADA), an endoxin special antagonist, on endoxin levels, apoptosis and the expression of the apoptosis-related protein bcl-2 and bax in myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion (MIR). The left anterior descending coronary artery was subjected to 30 min ischaemia followed by 45 min reperfusion in open-chest anaesthetized rats. The rats were divided randomly into seven groups: a sham-operated group, an MIR group, a vehicle control (normal saline) group, and groups receiving verapamil (5 mg/kg) or ADA (9, 18 and 36 mg/kg). The drugs were injected into rats via the femoral vein before reperfusion was commenced. Myocardial endoxin levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. Apoptotic cells was detected using the terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-digoxigenin nick end-labeling method. The expression of the apoptosis-related proteins bcl-2 and bax was detected by immunohistochemistry and their semiquantification scores were recorded by a computer image analysis system. Myocardial endoxin levels, the number of apoptotic cells and bax protein expression were increased in the MIR group compared with the sham group. Although bcl-2 protein expression was elevated in the MIR group, there was no significant difference between the MIR and sham groups. However, the ratio of bcl-2/bax was significantly decreased in the MIR group. In the group receiving 36 mg/kg ADA, myocardial endoxin levels, the number of apoptotic cells and bax protein expression were significantly decreased; bcl-2 protein expression was enhanced. The bcl-2/bax ratio was increased. The results suggest that ADA inhibited myocardial apoptosis induced by MIR in rats. The mechanisms involved require further investigation, but the present study may suggest that ADA prevents bax upregulation and enhances bcl-2 upregulation by antagonizing the effects of endoxin.