ABSTRACT
Large-scale genomic variations are fundamental resources for crop genetics and breeding. Here we sequenced 1,904 genomes of broomcorn millet to an average of 40× sequencing depth and constructed a comprehensive variation map of weedy and cultivated accessions. Being one of the oldest cultivated crops, broomcorn millet has extremely low nucleotide diversity and remarkably rapid decay of linkage disequilibrium. Genome-wide association studies identified 186 loci for 12 agronomic traits. Many causative candidate genes, such as PmGW8 for grain size and PmLG1 for panicle shape, showed strong selection signatures during domestication. Weedy accessions contained many beneficial variations for the grain traits that are largely lost in cultivated accessions. Weedy and cultivated broomcorn millet have adopted different loci controlling flowering time for regional adaptation in parallel. Our study uncovers the unique population genomic features of broomcorn millet and provides an agronomically important resource for cereal crops.
Subject(s)
Crops, Agricultural , Genetic Variation , Genome, Plant , Genome-Wide Association Study , Linkage Disequilibrium , Crops, Agricultural/genetics , Panicum/genetics , Phenotype , Quantitative Trait Loci , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Domestication , Genomics/methods , Plant BreedingABSTRACT
Due to its challenging manufacturing and intricate morphology, the aluminum alloy transmission intermediate shell used in vehicle transmission has been the focus of many academic studies. In this study, the three-dimensional cutting model is condensed to a two-dimensional cutting model and utilized to simulate the finishing process of an aluminum alloy workpiece using the finite element modeling program DEFORM-3D. Through orthogonal testing and range analysis, the impact of integral end mill side edge parameters on cutting performance was investigated. It is determined that tool chamfering has a greater impact on cutting performance than tool rake and relief angles, that chamfering width has the most impact on cutting force, and that chamfering angle has the greatest impact on cutting temperature. The workpiece's surface roughness is tested during a cutting experiment, and an analysis of the data reveals that the finite element simulation model is accurate and the orthogonal test method is reasonable. The tool chamfer has a greater impact on roughness than the tool rake angle and relief angle. The tool settings are further optimized using the firefly method. By examining the data, it is determined that the prediction model is correct and the optimization model is reasonable. The cutting efficiency is higher and the surface quality is better when the chamfer width is 0.17 mm and the chamfer angle is 7.3° or 18.3°. Therefore, optimizing the side edge parameters of the integral end mill during the finishing process of a thin-walled aluminum alloy shell has practical technical value.
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Background: While cataracts, the vision-clouding eye disease associated with aging, have long presumed dietary underpinnings, the relationship between dietary variety and cataract risk in developing nations has been nebulous. This research aims to investigate the association between dietary diversity scores (DDS) and the risk of cataracts, while considering various dietary diversity patterns. Methods: This research utilized cross-sectional data from 2008 to 2018 extracted from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), implementing the Visual Function Index-14 (VF-14) to gauge cataract probability. The researchers captured participants' diet diversity by using the DDS metric and categorized it into total, animal-based, and plant-based diet patterns. To explore associations between dietary variety and cataract potential, a generalized estimating equation (GEE) was statistically modeled using the data, with adjustments made to account for potentially confounding factors. Additionally, sensitivity analyses were conducted, excluding individuals with assorted eye conditions, to isolate cataract relationships. Results: The study sample comprised 47,395 participants with a mean age of 86.1 years. The study found that a lower likelihood of developing cataract was correlated with both total diet (OR = 0.74; 95% CI: 0.69-0.79) and plant-based diet (OR = 0.65; 95% CI: 0.61-0.71), whereas a slightly higher risk was associated with animal-based diet (OR = 0.90; 95% CI = 0.84-0.96). The results remained unchanged in the sensitivity analysis. Conclusion: The diversified diets are linked to a decreased likelihood of developing cataracts, but animal-based diet faced heightened cataract odds. The implementation of a varied dietary regimen has the potential to serve as a cost-effective and efficient intervention strategy for the prevention of cataracts.
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Lysidrhodosides A-I (1-9), nine acylphloroglucinol glucoside derivatives along with three known analogues (10-12) were isolated from the leaves of Lysidice rhodostegia. Their structures and absolute configuration were elucidated by spectroscopic data analysis (NMR, UV, IR, HR-ESI-MS), single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and acid hydrolysis with HPLC analysis. Notably, compounds 7-9 represent the first examples of 3-methylbutyryl phloroglucinol glucoside dimers isolated from this plant. Additionally, compounds 1-12 were assessed for their inhibitory effects on nitric oxide (NO) in the LPS-induced BV-2 cells. The results showed that compounds 6 and 12 significantly inhibited the production of the inflammatory mediator NO, with an inhibitory rate of 95.96 and 91.13% at a concentration of 50 µM, respectively.
Subject(s)
Fabaceae , Glucosides , Glucosides/pharmacology , Molecular Structure , Phloroglucinol/chemistry , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/chemistry , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Fabaceae/chemistry , Nitric OxideABSTRACT
Three novel diterpenoid alkaloids, comprising two C19 -diterpenoid alkaloids (1 and 2) and one C20 -diterpenoid alkaloid (3), were isolated from Delphinium ajacis, alongside the six known compoundsâ (4-9). Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods (MS, UV, IR, 1D and 2D NMR) and chemical properties. Simultaneously, the anti-inflammatory properties of all compoundsâ (1-9) was conducted, focusing on nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS-induced BV-2 cells. The results indicated compoundsâ 1-3, 7, and 8 have potential anti-inflammatory activity.
Subject(s)
Alkaloids , Delphinium , Diterpenes , Delphinium/chemistry , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Alkaloids/pharmacology , Alkaloids/chemistry , Diterpenes/pharmacology , Diterpenes/chemistry , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology , Molecular StructureABSTRACT
Objective. It was a great challenge to train an excellent and generalized model on an ultra-small data set composed of multi-orientation cardiac cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images. We try to develop a 3D deep learning method based on an ultra-small training data set from muti-orientation cine MRI images and assess its performance of automated biventricular structure segmentation and function assessment in multivendor.Approach. We completed the training and testing of our deep learning networks using only heart datasets of 150 cases (90 cases for training and 60 cases for testing). This datasets were obtained from three different MRI vendors and each subject included two phases of the cardiac cycle and three cine sequences. A 3D deep learning algorithm combining Transformers and U-Net was trained. The performance of the segmentation was evaluated using the Dice metric and Hausdorff distance (HD). Based on this, the manual and automatic results of cardiac function parameters were compared with Pearson correlation, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis in multivendor.Main results. The results show that the average Dice of 0.92, 0.92, 0.94 and HD95 of 2.50, 1.36, 1.37 for three sequences. The automatic and manual results of seven parameters were excellently correlated with the lowestr2 value of 0.824 and the highest of 0.983. The ICC (0.908-0.989,P< 0.001) showed that the results were highly consistent. Bland-Altman with a 95% limit of agreement showed there was no significant difference except for the difference in RVESV (P= 0.005) and LVM (P< 0.001).Significance. The model had high accuracy in segmentation and excellent correlation and consistency in function assessment. It provides a fast and effective method for studying cardiac MRI and heart disease.
Subject(s)
Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine , Neural Networks, Computer , Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine/methods , Heart/diagnostic imaging , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , AlgorithmsABSTRACT
Objective: As the global population ages, disability among the elderly presents unprecedented challenges for healthcare systems. However, limited research has examined whether dietary interventions like tea consumption may alleviate and prevent disability in older adults. As an important dietary therapy, the health benefits of tea drinking have gained recognition across research disciplines. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between tea drinking habits and disability levels in the elderly Chinese population. Methods: Leveraging data from the 2008 to 2018 waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, we disaggregated tea drinking frequency and activities of daily living (ADL) measures and deployed fixed-effect ordered logit models to examine the tea-disability association for the first time. We statistically adjusted for potential confounders and conducted stratified analyses to assess heterogeneity across subpopulations. Results: Multivariable fixed-effect ordered logistic regression suggested tea drinking has protective effects against ADL disability. However, only daily tea drinking was associated with lower risks of basic activities of daily living (BADL) disability [odds ratio (OR) = 0.61; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.41-0.92] and lower levels of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) disability (OR = 0.78; 95% CI, 0.64-0.95). Stratified analyses indicated heterogeneous effects across age and income groups. Daily tea drinking protected against BADL (OR = 0.26 and OR = 0.28) and IADL disability (OR = 0.48 and OR = 0.45) for adults over 83 years old and high-income households, respectively. Conclusion: We found that drinking tea almost daily was protective against disability in elderly people, warranting further research into optimal dosages. Future studies should utilize more rigorous causal inference methods and control for confounders.
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Five new sesquiterpenoids (1-5), elephantmollides A-E, along with four known compounds (6-9), were isolated from the whole plants of E. mollis. Their planar structures were elucidated using the spectroscopic methods, including HRESIMS, IR, UV, and NMR (1H, 13C, DEPT, HSQC, HMBC, 1H-1H COSY). The relative configurations of them were partially deduced by the NOESY experiment, and the absolute configurations were assigned by comparing the calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) results with the experimental data. In addition, cytotoxic activities of 1-9 against HepG2 cells ware tested, and compounds 1-9 exhibited cytotoxic activities with IC50 values ranging from 6.7 to 25.8 µM.
ABSTRACT
Against the backdrop of global warming, rapid urbanization has caused the aggregation of urban building spaces and the heat island effect is becoming increasingly serious, hindering sustainable urban development. In order to investigate the potential and methods of green roofs in different types of neighborhoods to mitigate the urban heat island effect, this study used multivariate data for surface temperature inversion and local climate zone (LCZ), and the potential of green roofs to reduce the heat island effect was evaluated by combining LCZ zoning and ENVI-met prediction model. Finally, a multi-scenario analysis with economic factors was conducted to derive the optimal implementation path for green roofs. The results show that in LCZs 1-9, the green roof can reduce the daytime average air temperature by a maximum of 0.41 °C for 0.5 m of the LCZ8 roof and 0.37 °C for 1.2 m of the LCZ6 pedestrian. Based on the surface cooling efficiency of LCZ green roofs get the best green roof construction order: LCZ3, LCZ6, LCZ8 > LCZ2, LCZ5, LCZ7 > LCZ1, LCZ4, LCZ9. The construction of green roofs for the heat island areas within the fifth ring road of Beijing can reduce the area of high-temperature and sub-high-temperature zones by 52.55% and 29.17%, respectively, compared with the area without green roof construction. The study clarifies the technical methodology system of cooling efficiency of green roofs in different types of neighborhoods and the reduction of the urban-scale heat island effect, which provides a reference for the planning of green roofs for urban buildings.
ABSTRACT
One new fawcettimine-type alkaloid (1), one new miscellaneous-type alkaloid (2), four new lycodine-type alkaloids (3-6), and eight known ones (7-14) were isolated from the whole plants of Huperzia serrata. Their structures and absolute configurations were elucidated based on spectroscopic data, X-ray diffraction, ECD calculation and Mosher's method. Compound 1 was a rare C18 N2 -type Lycopodium alkaloid, possessing serratinine skeleton with an amide side chain in C-5. The absolute configuration of the 18-OH of compounds 4-6 were first determined by Mosher's method. Moreover, compounds 1-14 were assayed anti-acetylcholinesterase effect inâ vitro, and compound 7 showed significant anti-acetylcholinesterase activity with an IC50 value of 16.18±1.64â µM.
Subject(s)
Alkaloids , Huperzia , Lycopodium , Acetylcholinesterase , Alkaloids/pharmacology , Alkaloids/chemistry , Cholinesterase Inhibitors/pharmacology , Cholinesterase Inhibitors/chemistry , Huperzia/chemistry , Lycopodium/chemistry , Molecular StructureABSTRACT
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) accelerates fracture healing, but the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Accumulating evidence indicates that the central nervous system (CNS) plays a pivotal role in regulating immune system and skeletal homeostasis. However, the impact of CNS injury on hematopoiesis commitment was overlooked. Here, we found that the dramatically elevated sympathetic tone accompanied with TBI-accelerated fracture healing; chemical sympathectomy blocks TBI-induced fracture healing. TBI-induced hypersensitivity of adrenergic signaling promotes the proliferation of bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and swiftly skews HSCs toward anti-inflammation myeloid cells within 14 days, which favor fracture healing. Knockout of ß3- or ß2-adrenergic receptor (AR) eliminate TBI-mediated anti-inflammation macrophage expansion and TBI-accelerated fracture healing. RNA sequencing of bone marrow cells revealed that Adrb2 and Adrb3 maintain proliferation and commitment of immune cells. Importantly, flow cytometry confirmed that deletion of ß2-AR inhibits M2 polarization of macrophages at 7th day and 14th day; and TBI-induced HSCs proliferation was impaired in ß3-AR knockout mice. Moreover, ß3- and ß2-AR agonists synergistically promote infiltration of M2 macrophages in callus and accelerate bone healing process. Thus, we conclude that TBI accelerates bone formation during early stage of fracture healing process by shaping the anti-inflammation environment in the bone marrow. These results implicate that the adrenergic signals could serve as potential targets for fracture management.
Subject(s)
Brain Injuries, Traumatic , Fracture Healing , Mice , Animals , Fracture Healing/genetics , Bone Marrow , Myelopoiesis , Mice, Knockout , Brain Injuries, Traumatic/genetics , Brain Injuries, Traumatic/complications , Adrenergic AgentsABSTRACT
Lactose is one of the most widespread excipients used in the pharmaceutical industry. Because of its water solubility and acceptable flowability, lactose is generally added into tablet formulation to improve wettability and undesirable flowability. Based on Quality by Design, a better understanding of the critical material attributes (CMAs) of raw materials is beneficial in guiding the improvement of tablet quality and the development of lactose. Additionally, the modifications and co-processing of lactose can introduce more-desirable characteristics to the resulting particles. This review focuses on the functionality, CMAs, applications, modifications and co-processing of lactose in tablets.
Subject(s)
Excipients , Lactose , Tablets , Solubility , Drug Compounding/methodsABSTRACT
Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) of different grades from different manufacturers differ in particulate and powder properties significantly. The choice of MCC is important to the development of a tablet formulation with satisfactory quality. In this study, the effects of five different MCCs (KG 802, Pharmacel 102, MC 302, M 200, and PH 112) that had different compactibility and tablet disintegration on the tablet quality of two different natural plant products (NPPs) were evaluated systematically, including Crataegi Folium ethanol extract (CF-E) and Sarcandrae Herba water extract (SH-W). The result of D-optimal mixture designs demonstrated that KG 802 showed the best ability to improve compression properties and tensile strength, followed by Pharmacel 102, MC 302, and M 200. PH 112 did the weakest. However, MCCs of different grades had no different influence on the disintegration of NPP tablets. Similar results were found in the experiments of the two different NPP powders, suggesting the generalization of the finding. Moreover, KG 802-containing CF-E formulations showed the largest optimum region size, that is, the lowest production risk. The design space sizes of SH-W were hardly sensitive to the change of MCCs, due to the better tabletability. In conclusion, the properties of MCCs could transfer to the high NPP loading (70%) formulations, leading to the variations on the compression properties and tablet quality. The poorer the tabletability of NPP, the more obvious the variation. The result is promising for the use of MCC and the manufacturing of high drug-loading NPP tablets by direct compression.
Subject(s)
Cellulose , Drug Compounding/methods , Cellulose/chemistry , Tensile Strength , Tablets/chemistryABSTRACT
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Naru-3 is a prescribed formulation based on the theory of Mongolian medicine for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Naru-3 consists of three medicinal agents: Aconitum kusnezoffii Reichb (caowu), Terminalia chebula Retz (hezi), and Piper longum L (biba). These medicinal agents are widely distributed in the Mongolian area of China and have been used to treat rheumatism for centuries. BACKGROUND: Mongolian medicine Naru-3 is commonly prescribed to treat RA, but its mechanism of action is unknown. METHODS: A rat collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model was established to investigate the mechanism of Naru-3. Rats were treated with Naru-3, Etanercept (ETN), and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) for four weeks. After treatment was terminated, paw thickness, ankle diameter, and arthritis index (AI) were scored. Synovial hyperplasia was evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and two-dimensional ultrasonography. Synovitis and neovascularization were assayed using power Doppler imaging (PDI) and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS). Levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin (IL)-1, and CD31 in the serum or synovium were detected using ELISA and immunohistochemistry analyses. RESULTS: Naru-3 and ETN alleviated the symptoms of CIA as evidenced by diminished paw thickness, ankle diameter, and AI scores. Mechanistically, Naru-3 inhibited synovial hyperplasia, synovitis, and neovascularization by diminishing systemic and local inflammation, as indicated by the relative expression of CD31, VEGF and IL-1 in the serumor synovium. After four weeks of treatment, no significant neovascularization was observed in the Naru-3 group, but neovascularization and synovitis occurred in the ETN group, as demonstrated by H&E staining, PDI, and CEUS examination. CONCLUSION: Naru-3 inhibited inflammation, synovial hyperplasia, and neovascularization and alleviates RA in our CIA rat model. No symptom recurrence was observed four weeks after drug treatment.
Subject(s)
Arthritis, Experimental , Arthritis, Rheumatoid , Synovitis , Rats , Animals , Arthritis, Experimental/chemically induced , Arthritis, Experimental/diagnostic imaging , Arthritis, Experimental/drug therapy , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism , Hyperplasia/pathology , Synovial Membrane/metabolism , Inflammation/pathology , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/pathology , Synovitis/metabolism , Synovitis/pathology , Neovascularization, Pathologic/drug therapyABSTRACT
During chemodynamic therapy (CDT), tumor cells can adapt to hydroxyl radical (ËOH) invasion by activating DNA damage repairing mechanisms such as initiating mutt homologue 1 (MTH1) to mitigate oxidation-induced DNA lesions. Therefore, a novel sequential nano-catalytic platform MCTP-FA was developed in which ultrasmall cerium oxide nanoparticle (CeO2 NP) decorated dendritic mesoporous silica NPs (DMSN NPs) were used as the core, and after encapsulation of MTH1 inhibitor TH588, folic acid-functionalized polydopamine (PDA) was coated on the periphery. Once endocytosed into the tumor, CeO2 with multivalent elements (Ce3+/4+) could transform H2O2 into highly toxic ËOH through a Fenton-like reaction to attack DNA as well as eliminating GSH through a redox reaction to amplify oxidative damage. Meanwhile, controllable release of TH588 hindered the MTH1-mediated damage repair process, further aggravating the oxidative damage of DNA. Thanks to the excellent photothermal performance of the PDA shell in the near-infrared (NIR) region, photothermal therapy (PTT) further improved the catalytic activity of Ce3+/4+. The therapeutic strategy of combining PTT, CDT, GSH-consumption and TH588-mediated amplification of DNA damage endows MCTP-FA with powerful tumor inhibition efficacy both in vitro and in vivo.
Subject(s)
Hyperthermia, Induced , Nanoparticles , Neoplasms , Humans , Hydrogen Peroxide , Oxidative Stress , Neoplasms/drug therapy , HyperthermiaABSTRACT
Objective.It is a huge challenge for multi-organs segmentation in various medical images based on a consistent algorithm with the development of deep learning methods. We therefore develop a deep learning method based on cross-convolutional transformer for these automated- segmentation to obtain better generalization and accuracy.Approach.We propose a cross-convolutional transformer network (C2Former) to solve the segmentation problem. Specifically, we first redesign a novel cross-convolutional self-attention mechanism in terms of the algorithm to integrate local and global contexts and model long-distance and short-distance dependencies to enhance the semantic feature understanding of images. Then multi-scale feature edge fusion module is proposed to combine the image edge features, which effectively form multi-scale feature streams and establish reliable relational connections in the global context. Finally, we use three different modalities, imaging three different anatomical regions to train and test multi organs and evaluate segmentation performance.Main results.We use the evaluation metrics of Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and 95% Hausdorff distance (HD95) for each dataset. Experiments showed the average DSC of 83.22% and HD95 of 17.55 mm on the Synapse dataset (CT images of abdominal multi-organ), the average DSC of 91.42% and HD95 of 1.06 mm on the ACDC dataset (MRI of cardiac substructures) and the average DSC of 86.78% and HD95 of 16.85 mm on the ISIC 2017 dataset (skin cancer images). In each dataset, our proposed method consistently outperforms the compared networks.Significance.The proposed deep learning network provides a generalized and accurate solution method for multi-organ segmentation in the three different datasets. It has the potential to be applied to a variety of medical datasets for structural segmentation.
Subject(s)
Neural Networks, Computer , Skin Neoplasms , Humans , Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods , Algorithms , Magnetic Resonance ImagingABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Intertrochanteric femoral fractures (IFF) are one of the most common traumatic conditions, but there are no established treatment methods for this condition due to implant failure and re-operation rates. The proximal femoral bionic nail (PFBN), which is a new design of the cephalomedullary nail, was developed by our team. The objective of this study was to assess the clinical and radiographic outcomes of PFBN in patients with unstable IFF. METHODS: From October 2020 to August 2021, 12 patients diagnosed with unstable IFF (31-A2, 3) were treated with PFBN at the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University. We evaluated the clinical therapeutic effects of this treatment by measuring peri-operative indicators and post-operative complications. Clinical outcomes, specific radiographic parameters, and post-operative complications were collected and analyzed within the first post-operative year. RESULTS: The average age of the patients was 72.4 ± 16.1 years (five males and seven females). The mean operation time was 90.4 ± 16.0 min, whereas the operation time of 31-A2 fractures (83.1 ± 12.2 min) was shorter than that of 31-A3 fractures (105.0 ± 12.9 min) (p < 0.05). The blood loss was 175 ml (range: 50 to 500 ml), and the length of hospitalization was 10.0 ± 1.9 days. The prognosis evaluation was assessed at three, six and 12 months after the operation; for these time points, the Harris hip scores were 69.6 ± 4.1, 77.8 ± 3.8, and 82.6 ± 4.6, respectively, and the Parker-Palmer scores were 5.3 (5.0, 7.0), 6.3 (5.3, 7.0), and 7.8 (7.0, 8.0), respectively. CONCLUSION: PFBN has shown advantages in the treatment of unstable IFF (particularly in geriatric patients) and possesses both stability and safety. This innovative method may provide a new option for treating unstable IFFs.
Subject(s)
Femoral Fractures , Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary , Hip Fractures , Male , Female , Humans , Aged , Middle Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary/adverse effects , Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary/methods , Bone Nails , Bionics , Hip Fractures/diagnostic imaging , Hip Fractures/surgery , Fracture Fixation, Internal/methods , Treatment Outcome , Postoperative Complications/epidemiology , Postoperative Complications/etiology , Postoperative Complications/surgery , Retrospective Studies , Femoral Fractures/surgeryABSTRACT
One new alkaloid, 6, 7-dimethoxyisoquinoline-N-oxide (1), one new benzofuran derivative, 3,7-dimethyl-6-acetyl-8-benzofuranol (2) and one new lignan, salsolains A (3), along with seven known compounds (4-10), were isolated from the whole plant of Salsola collina Pall. Their structures were elucidated by extensive analysis of spectroscopic data (IR, UV, HR-ESI-MS, 1 D and 2 D NMR), and their absolute configurations were determined by the X-ray crystallography and ECD calculation. The activities of compounds 1-10 against inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α levels on LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages were assessed, especially, compound 5 (50 µM) exhibited the most significant anti-inflammatory activity with the secretion levels of IL-6 and TNF-α at 3.87% and 4.03%, respectively.
Subject(s)
Alkaloids , Salsola , Animals , Mice , Salsola/chemistry , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha , Interleukin-6 , Macrophages , RAW 264.7 Cells , Molecular StructureABSTRACT
Aim: US federal, state, and local governments implemented numerous COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders (lockdowns) starting in March 2020 to ensure social distancing regulations and help stop the spread of COVID-19. It is important to know how these lockdowns affected businesses, such as restaurants, in regions that vary in terms of poverty status and geography. In this paper, we analyze the differential changes in rural and urban restaurant visits by the restaurants' NAICS codes following the COVID-19 lockdowns. Our analysis contributes to the public policy literature and helps operational planning for food distribution during a pandemic. Methods: Since urban and rural consumer behavior and food resources are significantly different, it is crucial to conduct a comparative analysis. Our study applies a difference-in-differences model to capture the differential effects lockdowns have on urban and rural restaurants. Results: We find that restaurant visits declined significantly in both rural and urban counties after shelter-at-home orders. The decrease in total restaurant visits was almost twice as high in urban counties as in rural counties. We also find that visits to fast-food restaurants increased in rural counties during shelter-at-home orders. Conclusions: These results contribute to previous studies on the dearth of healthy food in rural and poorer regions, and inform important public policy response in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
ABSTRACT
The synergistic effects of photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) has attracted considerable attention in the field of cancer therapy because of its excellent anti-tumor effect. This work provides a novel pH/NIR responsive therapeutic nanoplatform, IrO2@ZIF-8/BSA-FA (Ce6), producing a synergistic effect of PTT-PDT in the treatment of osteosarcoma. Iridium dioxide nanoparticles (IrO2 NPs) with exceptional catalase-like activity and PTT effects were synthesized by a hydrolysis method and decorated with zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) shell layer to promote the physical absorption of Chlorin e6 (Ce6), and further functionalized with bovine serum albumin-folate acid (BSA-FA) for targeting tumor cells. The IrO2@ZIF-8/BSA-FA nanocomposite indicated an outstanding photothermal heating conversion efficiency of 62.1% upon laser irradiation. In addition, the Ce6 loading endows nanoplatform with the capability to induce cell apoptosis under 660 nm near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation through a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated mechanism. It was further testified that IrO2@ZIF-8/BSA-FA can function as a catalase and convert the endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into oxygen (O2) to improve the local oxygen pressure under the acidic tumor microenvironment (TME), which could subsequently amplified PDT-mediated ROS cell-killing performance via relieving hypoxia microenvironment of tumor. Both in vitro and in vivo experimental results indicated that the nanomaterials were good biocompatibility, and could remarkably achieve tumor-specific and enhanced combination therapy outcomes as compared with the corresponding PTT or PDT monotherapy. Taken together, this work holds great potential to design an intelligent multifunctional therapeutic nanoplatform for cancer therapy.