The effect of leizumab on serum vascular endothelial growth factor, IL-6, MCP-1 inflammatory factors in neovascular glaucoma.

This study aimed to assess Leizumab's effect on serum endothelial growth factor, interleukin-6 (IL-6), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), and inflammatory factors in neovascular glaucoma patients. 80 eligible patients treated between January 2021 and April 2023 were enrolled, randomly divided into control and study groups. The control group underwent vitrectomy while the study group received preoperative intravitreal rituximab injection. Measurements included serum and aqueous humor VEGF/PEDF, IL-6/MCP-1 levels, postoperative rebleeding/retinal detachment, and visual acuity changes over 6 weeks. After surgery, patients showed reduced serum VEGF/PEDF levels (P < 0.05), with decreased VEGF and increased PEDF in aqueous humor (P < 0.05). The study group had lower VEGF and higher PEDF levels than the control (P < 0.05). Serum IL-6/MCP-1 levels reduced post-surgery, with the study group lower than control (P < 0.05). Intraocular rebleeding was lower in the study group (P < 0.05), while retinal detachment rates were similar (P > 0.05). Visual acuity differed significantly from week 1 to 6 post-surgery (P < 0.05), with higher acuity in the study group during weeks 1-4 (P < 0.05). Weeks 5-6 follow-up showed no significant difference (P > 0.05). Pre-vitrectomy ranibizumab injection effectively reduced bleeding, VEGF/PEDF levels, inflammatory factors, and improved visual recovery.

Effects of Transglutaminase on Myofibrillar Protein Composite Gels with Addition of Non-Meat Protein Emulsion.

The emulsions prepared by three non-meat proteins, sodium caseinate (SC), soy protein isolate (SPI) and egg white protein (EPI), were individually added to the continuous phase of myofibrillar protein (MP) sol to form MP composite gels to simulate meat products. The research aimed to investigate the effects of Transglutaminase (TGase) on the physicochemical properties, microstructure and water phase distribution of non-meat protein emulsion MP composite gels. The results of this study revealed that TGase played a crucial role in forming a tight gel network structure in the composite gels. This enhanced their ability to retain water and improved their overall gel strength. Additionally, TGase increased the gel formation temperature of myofibrillar proteins. Electrophoresis analysis showed that when catalyzed by TGase, there was a lighter band compared to those not catalyzed by TGase. This indicated that the addition of TGase facilitated cross-linking interactions between meat proteins and non-meat proteins in the composite gels. Furthermore, microscopy observations demonstrated that composite gels treated with TGase exhibited a more uniform microstructure. This could be attributed to an acceleration in relaxation time T2. The uniform network structure restricted the movement of water molecules in the gel matrix, thereby improving its water-holding capacity. Overall, these findings highlight how incorporating non-meat proteins into myofibrillar systems can be effectively achieved through enzymatic treatment with TGase. Such modifications not only enhanced important functional properties but also contributed towards developing alternative meat products with improved texture and moisture retention abilities.

Solid-Acid Catalytic Conversion of Oil Shale: Effects of Sulfonic Acid Grafting on Oil Yield Enhancing and Quality Improvement.

Oil shale is a promising unconventional resource and in situ upgrading technology has been a practical approach for enhancing oil and gas recovery. Mineral-based clin/SBA-15 has been prepared and subsequently functionalized to get SO3H-SBA-15 catalysts. Compared with the noncatalytic conversion of oil shale under subcritical water, sulfonic acid grafted catalysts have played a predominant role in enhancing the oil yield by 3-16% and improving oil qualities. The O/C atomic ratio was declined to 0.10-0.11, while the hydrocarbon yield was sharply increased to 47-60% from 34%. The energy recovery has been elevated to 75-82%, and the produced oil had a heating value of 35-37 MJ/kg. Compared with that without catalyst, the energy recovery rate is 34.55%, and the heating value is 23.61 MJ/kg. The overall oil yield showed a linear trend with respect to the medium and strong acid amounts on SO3H-SBA-15 in the aqueous conversion of oil shale. It was indicated that the SO3H- group assisted in the depolymerization via the C-C and C-O bond breaking. Upon the addition of SO3H-SBA-15, the activation energies of the oil shale catalytic conversation are decreased dramatically to 78 kJ/mol. It provided a practical approach for the in situ upgrading of oil shale under milder reaction conditions.

Chlorella to fuel conversion on amphiphilic SO3H-SBA-15 catalysts: Pyrolysis characteristics and kinetics.

The aim of this work was to propose a novel process to make Chlorella pyrolyzed and in situ upgraded to fuel over amphiphilic SO3H-SBA-15 catalysts. This strategy is developed to build a Pickering emulsion system through the w/o (water/decalin) droplets. Chlorella catalytic pyrolysis has been conducted under the different heating rates to get the activation energy 166 kJ/mol (α = 0.5) according to the kinetic-free model. Palmitic acid, as a model compound, was employed for TG and DRIFTS analysis to elucidate the pyrolysis and deoxygenation reaction pathway. n-hexadecane pyrolysis at 3 MPa N2 illustrated the peak cracking temperature declining from thermally 422 °C to catalytically 413 °C. N2 physisorption of the fresh and post-reaction catalysts indicated that there is little catalyst decay. With improved thermal stability and hydrophobicity, the SO3H-SBA-15 catalysts showed enhanced performance for Chlorella pyrolysis, and revealed the promising application for better fuel production in aqueous conversion.

Microalgae hydrothermal liquefaction and derived biocrude upgrading with modified SBA-15 catalysts.

In this study, a novel route was proposed for microalgae biofuel production by catalytic upgrading of Chlorella hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) derived biocrude. Al-SBA-15, CuO/Al-SBA-15, ZuO/Al-SBA-15, and CuO-ZnO/Al-SBA-15 catalysts were synthesized in a facile, one-pot way, and tested for methyl palmitate decarboxylation and biocrude upgrading without H2 addition. These modified SBA-15 catalysts enhanced alkane selectivity of methyl palmitate decarboxylation from 7.6 wt% up to 79.6 wt% at 340-350 °C. FT-IR, TG and GC-MS characterizations were employed to identify the composition and properties of the upgraded bio-oils. Compared with thermal upgrading, modified SBA-15 catalysts enriched the yield of low boiling point compounds, and the content of heavy bio-oil (>400 °C) declined from 9.57 wt% to 1.89 wt%. Hydrocarbon yield was greatly enriched on the catalysts, and aromatics predominant on Al-SBA-15 while aliphatics abundant on metal oxide(s) supported catalysts. The hydrocarbon yield was increased from 25.1 wt% (thermal) to 65.7 wt% on the CuO/Al-SBA-15.

Isolariciresinol-9'-O-α-L-arabinofuranoside protects against hydrogen peroxide­induced apoptosis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells via a PI3K/Akt/Bad­dependent pathway.

Isolariciresinol-9'-O-α-L-arabinofuranoside (MWS­19) isolated from Pinus massoniana Lamb. Fresh pine needles is the major ingredient of the Songling Xuemaikang capsule therapy used for hypertension. The present study aimed to investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of MWS­19 on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)­induced apoptosis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). To investigate the effect of MWS­19 on apoptosis in HUVECs, an oxidative stress­induced apoptosis model was established in HUVECs using H2O2, and the present study performed Hoechst 33258 staining and a Cell Counting Kit­8 (CCK­8) assay. Furthermore, western blot analysis was also performed to investigate the underlying mechanism of the effects of MWS­19 on the model. The results demonstrated that MWS­19 reversed the effects of H2O2 on cell apoptosis at a concentration range of 15.6­250 µg/ml, with dose­dependent increases in cell growth. Hoechst staining indicated that 500 µM H2O2 induced HUVEC apoptosis, and MWS­19 markedly protected HUVECs against apoptosis at 31.3, 62.5 and 125 µg/ml. Furthermore, the protein expression of phosphatidylinositol 3­kinase (PI3K), phosphorylated­Akt and Bcl­2­associated agonist of cell death (Bad) were increased, and reduced caspase­3 activation was observed, following treatment with MWS­19 in H2O2­treated HUVECs. Additionally, the PI3K inhibitor wortmannin attenuated PI3K/Akt/Bad signaling induced by MWS­19 treatment and neutralized the effect of MWS­19 on the growth of HUVECs. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that MWS­19 may protect against H2O2­induced HUVEC apoptosis via the PI3K/Akt/Bad signaling pathway. MWS­19 may serve an important role in the prevention of oxidative damage in vascular endothelial cells in hypertension patients.

Preparation of surface multiple-coated polylactide acid drug-loaded nanoparticles for intranasal delivery and evaluation on its brain-targeting efficiency.

PURPOSE: To prepare a mixture of multiple-coated aniracetam nasal polylactic-acid nanoparticles (M-C-PLA-NP) and evaluate its stability preliminarily in vitro and its brain-targeting efficiency in vivo. METHODS: The solvent diffusion-evaporation combined with magnetic stirring method has been chosen for the entrapment of aniracetam. The M-C-PLA-NP was characterized with respect to its morphology, particle size, size distribution and aniracetam entrapment efficiency. The in vivo distribution was studied in male SD rats after an intranasal administration. RESULTS: In vitro release of M-C-PLA-NP showed two components with an initial rapid release due to the surface-associated drug and followed by a slower exponential release of aniracetam, which was dissolved in the core. The AUC0 → 30 min of M-C-PLA-NP in brain tissues resulted in a 5.19-fold increase compared with aniracetam solution. The ratios of AUC in brain to that in other tissues obtained after nasal application of M-C-PLA-NP were significantly higher than those of aniracetam solution. CONCLUSION: Therefore, it can be concluded that M-C-PLA-NP demonstrated its potential on increasing the brain-targeting efficiency of drugs and will be used as novel brain-targeting agent for nasal drug delivery.

DNA repair gene XRCC1 Arg194Trp polymorphism and susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma: A meta-analysis.

The arginine194tryptophan (Arg194Trp) polymorphism in the X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) gene has been reported to be associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however, the results from previous studies are conflicting. The present study aimed to investigate the association between the XRCC1 Arg194Trp polymorphism and the risk of HCC, using a meta-analysis of previously published studies. PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/), Google Scholar (http://scholar.google.co.uk/) and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases (http://www.cnki.net/) were systematically searched to identify relevant studies published prior to October 2013. A meta-analysis was performed to examine the association between the Arg194Trp gene polymorphism and the susceptibility to HCC. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated. The meta-analysis consisted of six case-control studies that included 1,451 HCC cases and 1,398 healthy controls. Meta-analysis results based on all the studies showed no significant association between the XRCC1 Arg194Trp gene polymorphism and the risk of HCC (Trp/Trp vs. Arg/Arg: OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.89-1.55; Trp/Trp vs. Arg/Trp: OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.59-1.51; dominant model: OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.63-1.49; recessive model: OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.89-1.67). In the subgroup analysis, three studies with sample sizes of >300 produced similar results that indicated that the Arg194Trp gene polymorphism had no association with an increased or decreased risk of HCC. The pooled ORs were not markedly different following the exclusion of two studies deviating from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the control group, which indicated the reliability of the meta-analysis results. In conclusion, the XRCC1 Arg194Trp polymorphism may not be a risk or protective factor for HCC. Further large and well-designed studies are required to confirm these results.

[Morphological monitoring indexes in anterior segment with primary acute angle closure glaucoma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate morphological monitoring indexes of anterior segment in AACG. METHODS: Case-controlled study was conducted in the following groups: 55 eyes of 55 patients with unilateral AACG in first attack, 60 eyes of 60 cases with shallow anterior chamber, and 60 eyes of 60 cases with normal individuals. Images of anterior chamber angle in each group were collected by OCT. Using software of Photoshop, the opening degree of anterior chamber angle was quantified. Anterior chamber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT), lens position (LP), and chamber crowding rate (CCR) were measured by A-ultrasound. Anterior segment biometric parameters among the three groups were compared using one-way ANOVA test. RESULTS: LT, LP, and CCR were significantly (LT: F = 27.73, LP: F = 47.33, CCR: F = 79.22; P < 0.05) different between AACG, narrow angle and normal group in age group ranged from 50 to 59 [LT: (5.72 ± 0.22) mm, (5.57 ± 0.28) mm, (4.55 ± 0.36) mm, LP: (4.33 ± 0.24) mm, (4.63 ± 0.20) mm, (5.71 ± 0.34) mm, and CCR: 3.28 ± 0.16, 2.64 ± 0.19, 1.70 ± 0.10, respectively] and significantly different (LT: F = 22.51, LP: F = 56.67, CCR: F = 74.84; P < 0.05) in age group ranged from 60 to 69 [LT: (5.81 ± 0.37) mm, (5.72 ± 0.41) mm, (4.98 ± 0.59) mm, LP: (4.26 ± 0.18) mm, (4.51 ± 0.14) mm, (5.62 ± 0.19) mm and CCR: 3.39 ± 0.35, 2.74 ± 0.37, 1.86 ± 0.36, respectively]. However, in age group ranged above 70 group, LP and CCR (LP: F = 23.09, CCR: F = 60.08; P < 0.05) were significantly changed [LP: (4.25 ± 0.30) mm, (4.46 ± 0.22) mm, (5.49 ± 0.23) mm, CCR: 3.48 ± 0.21, 2.85 ± 0.30, 2.03 ± 0.17, respectively], but not LT [(5.85 ± 0.27) mm, (5.74 ± 0.21) mm, (5.43 ± 0.36) mm] (F = 8.29, P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The study results indicate that LT, LP and CCR, are useful indicators to observe the anterior chamber status in AACG by using Stratus OCT-3.