Sweet potato extract alleviates high-fat-diet-induced obesity in C57BL/6J mice, but not by inhibiting pancreatic lipases.

Scope and aim: Sweet potato is widely consumed as a healthy and nutritive vegetable containing bioactive constituents for health promotion. This study investigated the beneficial impact of white-fleshed sweet potato extract (SPE) on high fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. Methods and results: First, SPE, in which resin glycoside was found as the dominant constituent, was suggested as a potential anti-obesity agent, because 20-70% pancreatic lipase (PL) inhibition was measured with SPE by in vitro turbidity assay and pNPP assay. Hence, next, the effect of SPE on obese mice was detected by oral administration of HFD supplemented with 6% SPE on C57BL/6J mice for 9 weeks. Surprisingly, being the opposite of what was typically observed from a lipase inhibitor such as orlistat, the fecal fat content in SPE-fed obese mice was decreased (p < 0.01). Meanwhile, 6% SPE supplement indeed significantly ameliorated HFD-induced obesity in mice, including body weight gain, fat accumulation, adipocyte enlargement, insulin resistance, and hepatic steatosis (p < 0.05). The improved liver steatosis was found associated with a down-regulating action of SPE on nuclear factor kappa B activation in HFD-fed mice. The anti-obesity influence of SPE was also confirmed on the HepG2 cell model for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Conclusion: These results indicate that SPE, as a dietary supplement, has the great potential for weight control and treating hepatic steatosis, possibly through a different action mechanism from that of orlistat.

Photoresponsive molecularly imprinted polymers based on 4-[(4-methacryloyloxy)phenylazo] benzenesulfonic acid for the determination of sulfamethazine.

Core-shell structured photoresponsive molecularly imprinted polymers were developed for the determination of sulfamethazine in milk samples. The photoresponsive imprinted polymers were prepared with polymethyl methacrylate containing a mass of ester groups as core, sulfamethazine as template molecules, self-synthesized water-soluble 4-[(4-methacryloyloxy)phenylazo] benzenesulfonic acid as a photoresponsive monomer, and ethylene dimethacrylate as cross-linker. Interestingly, the imprinted polymer can specifically adsorb sulfamethazine under dark and 440 nm irradiation, and release it at 365 nm. A series of adsorption experiments showed that the maximum adsorption capacity reached 12.5 mg⋅g-1 , and the adsorption equilibrium was achieved within 80 min. Moreover, the imprinted polymers display excellent reusability, with almost no performance loss after four times photo-controlled adsorption-release cycles, and the imprinted polymers have excellent selectively for sulfamethazine (imprinting factor  = 3.01). In the end, the imprinted polymers realized effective separation and enrichment of sulfamethazine in milk, with a recovery rate of over 97.5%. The material can be used as a solid-phase extractant in the process of enrichment and separation for the quantitative detection of sulfamethazine in milk samples.

Spatial distribution and eco-environmental risk assessment of heavy metals in surface sediments from a crater lake (Bosomtwe/Bosumtwi).

Thirty samples of sediments were taken from Bosumtwi Lake (also called Bosomtwe Lake) in Ghana and analyzed for the contents of Fe, As, Hg, Co, Cr, Ni, Cd, and Pb. Several pollution indices (enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (CF), geoaccumulation (Igeo), and pollution load index (PLI)) were used to determine sedimentary pollution levels, and the risk of environmental exposure was calculated using Hakanson's potential ecological risk (PER) indices. The results from PER assessments have indicated that sediments from the Bosumtwi Lake present a moderate environmental risk. According to EF calculations, Hg in Bosumtwi lake sediments is the element of concern that is being severely enriched. Hg was the largest contributor to PER with a 97% risk contribution. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed that the main sources of Hg were agrochemicals and atmospheric deposition, whereas the sources of Fe, As, Co, Cr, and Ni to Bosumtwi Lake were natural processes and are derived from the local lithology. There was no strong significant correlation among the contents of the heavy metals, sediment grain sizes, and total organic carbon (TOC), suggesting their lack of control in the distribution of heavy metals, the source, and the transport pathway. Finally, it is strongly recommended to do a study on Hg bioavailability in Bosumtwi Lake sediments. These findings will be relevant to Bosumtwi Lake's profiling and historical development of heavy metal loads.

Cancer and non-cancer risks in humans exposed to trace elements in drinking water from a crater lake (Bosumtwi/Bosomtwe).

The total and dissolved lead, cadmium, mercury, nickel, chromium, cobalt, and arsenic in 30 water samples collected from Bosomtwe Lake were analyzed. Arsenic bioavailability was also determined using the ARSOlux test system. Except for chromium, their mean values in the study results exceeded the WHO permissible limit for potability. Cancer and non-cancer effects associated with exposure to dissolved and total metals by a child and an adult via oral and dermal routes were estimated. The hazard quotient (HQ) values obtained (except adult exposure to total arsenic of 1.71 × 1000 ) were less than unity. Between child and adult, the recorded hazard index (HI) was 0.82 and 1.75, respectively. The HI results indicate that the adult population is at risk for non-cancer health effects. Arsenic was the element of concern, and it remained biologically available for uptake by target groups. For child and adult, respectively, arsenic contributed 96.39% and 97.29% to HI values. The risk values for cancer in a child and an adult with oral and dermal exposure to dissolved and total arsenic were lower than the USEPA range. Principal component and cluster analysis identified atmospheric deposition, geogenic, and unregulated application of agrochemicals as plausible sources of water pollution in Bosomtwe Lake. PRACTITIONER POINTS: The hazard quotient (HQ) values obtained for adult exposure to total arsenic was 1.71 × 1000 . Arsenic remained biologically available for uptake by target groups. The calculated health index (HI) indicated that the adult population is at risk for non-cancer health effects. Arsenic contributed 96.39% and 97.29% to HI values for a child and an adult. Atmospheric deposition, geogenic, and unregulated application of agrochemicals were the plausible sources of water pollution in Bosomtwe Lake.

Highly sensitive electrochemical BPA sensor based on titanium nitride-reduced graphene oxide composite and core-shell molecular imprinting particles.

A sensitive electrochemical sensor was proposed via combining molecular imprinting technique with the graphene material-doped titanium nitride. The novel graphene with 3-dimensional structure displayed more binding sites and better electrochemical properties. Moreover, this study focused on coating pyrrole with electrical conductivity on the surface of silica as a monomer, and BPA as the template. The interaction made specific detection possible, between monomer and template. With a series of characterizations and electrochemical measurements, CPE (carbon paste electrode)-contained TiN-rGO composite was proved to have conductivity improved. Also, the modified polymer performed well selectivity which reflected in that it was almost impervious to distractions. Under optimized conditions, a linear dependence was observed from 0.5 to 100 nmol L-1 with a detection limit of 0.19 nmol L-1. The sensor explicated outstanding repeatability via repetitive experiment with the RSD of 0.02%, while the results of stability experiment reached the RSD of 1.90%. Eventually, it was used to analyze BPA residues in 3 kinds of daily supplies. The results indicated the potential of the sensor in environmental detection prospectively.

Selective enrichment-release of trace dibutyl phthalate via molecular-imprinting based photo-controlled switching followed by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis.

A novel intelligent photo-controlled molecularly imprinted polymers were synthesized, based on the magnetic core-shell structure, with 4-[(4-methacryloyloxy) phenylazo] benzenesulfonic acid as the functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethyl acrylate as the cross-linking agent. Subsequently, a series of light-controlled enrichment-release performance showed that it only took about 30 and 10 min to reach the equilibrium photosensitive characteristic peak, respectively. The photo-controlled polymers could intelligently select target molecules, the maximum adsorption capacity for dibutyl phthalate was 3.88 mg/g. However, the adsorption capacity for its structural analogue dicyclohexyl phthalate was only 0.88 mg/g. The Freundlich and Langmuir isothermal equations were discussed for the specific enrichment process. Finally, the photo-controlled molecularly imprinted polymers were successfully applied to the selective detection of dibutyl phthalate, with the recovery rate of 95.4-98.4%. It could be used for the analysis of trace dibutyl phthalate in actual samples.

Photo-stimulated "turn-on/off" molecularly imprinted polymers based on magnetic mesoporous silicon surface for efficient detection of sulfamerazine.

In this study, novel photo-stimulated molecularly imprinted polymers based on magnetic mesoporous carrier surface were developed for selective identification and intelligent separation of sulfamerazine in complex samples. The photosensitive monomer of the molecularly imprinted polymers was azobenzene derivative 5-[(4-(methacryloyloxy)phenyl) diazenyl] isophthalic acid with stimulus reaction mechanisms, which has photoisomerization between trans and cis for N=N bonds. Further, the properties of the photo-stimulated molecularly imprinted polymers were further evaluated through several sets of adsorption experiments. It illustrated that the maximum adsorption amount is 0.45 mmol/L. By ultraviolet spectrophotometry, the material reaches typical characteristic peaks of photo sensitivity, and the cycle time is 16 min. Three adsorption and desorption processes were repeated, the adsorption rate reached 34.4%. Overall, the photo-stimulated molecularly imprinted polymers can enrich and separate determine sulfamerazine with high selectivity, which have good recovery for real samples.

Novel insights into biomarkers associated with renal cell carcinoma.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a common form of cancer of the urinary tract. The present study aimed to identify driver genes in RCC using a bioinformatics approach. GSE53757 and GSE40435 microarray data were analyzed, and differentially expressed genes were filtered prior to gene ontology (GO) and pathway analysis. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was established. Overall survival and recurrence were investigated and based on data presented in cBioPortal. The COPS7B gene within the PPI network was selected for further study in vitro. The present study identified 174 and 149 genes possessing a significant signal to noise ratio in GSE53757 and GSE40435, respectively. In total, 53 of these genes were selected based upon inclusion in both datasets. GO analysis indicated that PRKCDBP, EHD2, KCNJ10, ATP1A1, KCNJ1 and EHD2 may be involved in various biological processes. Furthermore, ALDH6A1, LDHA, SUCLG1 and ABAT may be involved in the propanoate metabolism pathway. A network consisting of 106 genes, and one typical cluster were constructed. In addition, COPS7B was selected, as it was associated with decreased overall survival and increased recurrence rates, in order to elucidate its function in RCC. Furthermore, upregulation of COPS7B was demonstrated to be predictive of advanced stage disease and metastasis of RCC. Finally, COPS7B-knockdown inhibited RCC cell proliferation and invasion ability. Collectively, these results provided novel insights into COPS7B function, indicating that COPS7B may serve as a prognostic marker and therapeutic target in RCC.

Identification of CDK2 as a novel target in treatment of prostate cancer.

AIM: This study aims the potential gene involved in the metastasis of prostate cancer (Pca). METHODS: PubMed GEO datasets (GSE6605 and GSE6606) were downloaded. We used multiple bioinformatics methods to screen differentially expressed genes in Pca. Gene network was built by STRING and visualized by Cytoscape. All of the hub genes were analyzed by cBioPortal. Inhibition of CDK2 including siRNA, inhibitor and cas9-induced CDK2 knockout was followed by an invasion assay. Downstream genes of CDK2 were analyzed by western blot. RESULTS: Sequencing data were analyzed to screen the genes with expression alterations. The top genes were validated in our samples. 11 hub genes were screened out. Among these genes, STAT3 and CDK2 were significantly associated with recurrence. Further study suggested that inhibition of CDK2 reduced invasion of Pca cell lines. The invasion ability was rescued after reintroduction of CDK2. CONCLUSION: These data indicated that CDK2 was a crucial factor in metastasis of Pca and might be a novel therapy target. [Formula: see text].