Polyaniline-coated kapok fibers for convenient in-syringe solid-phase microextraction and determination of organochlorine and pyrethroid pesticide residues in aqueous samples.

Pesticides used in agriculture have low polarity and a tendency to accumulate in fatty tissues, posing potential risks to human health. Effective pre-treatment is crucial due to complex sample matrices and low concentrations of pesticide residues typically encountered in instrument analysis. In this study, polyaniline-coated kapok fiber (PANI-KF) was synthesized successfully using in-situ oxidative polymerization for use as sorbents in in-syringe SPME of pyrethroid pesticides (PYRs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from aqueous samples. Coating the natural KF with PANI maintained the hollow microtubular structure and fiber morphology while significantly enhancing the extraction efficiency. The extraction process was easily conducted by simply pulling and pushing the syringe plunger. The entire extraction process, utilizing 3 mg of PANI-KF, could be completed in approximately 3 min. Density functional theory results indicated that the adsorption mechanism of PANI-KF towards OCPs and PYRs mainly involved van der Waals interactions, π-π interactions, and weak hydrogen bonding interactions. With the coupling of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, a quantification method was established that exhibited good linearities (R2 > 0.990), and relative recoveries (87.2-108.5 %). The limits of detection ranged from 0.4 to 2.0 ng mL-1 and the matrix effects were negligible (-12.3-16.4 %). The validated in-syringe SPME-GC-MS method was successfully applied to determine pesticide residues in fruit juices, oral liquids and herbal extract granules with satisfactory accuracy and precision. PANI-KF exhibits remarkable promise as a sorbent for the extraction and enrichment of pesticide residues in aqueous samples, thereby contributing to the advancement of pesticide residue determination methodologies.

Physiological characteristics and cold tolerance of overwintering eggs in Gomphocerus sibiricus L. (Orthoptera: Acrididae).

Gomphocerus sibiricus L., the dominant insect species in the alpine and subalpine grassland, overwinters with diapause at egg stage. In this study, cold tolerance and related cryoprotectants of G. sibiricus eggs were investigated. In particular, the supercooling point (SCP), water content, carbohydrates (trehalose, glucose, fructose, glycogen), polyols (glycerol, inositol, sorbitol), fat, and amino acids contents were evaluated at different developmental stages of G. sibiricus eggs collected under natural conditions. The SCPs of eggs were very low (-32.83 to -22.61°C) at mid-diapause. Water content gradually increased during development. The fructose, glycerol, and sorbitol contents were significantly higher in diapausing eggs than in early embryogenesis stage and post-diapause development stage. Glycogen content was high throughout the whole developmental period. The trehalose, glucose, and inositol contents were low during diapause compared to that in early embryogenesis stage and post-diapause development stage. There were no significant differences in the fat content of eggs among all development stages. The total amino acid contents in eggs in the early embryogenesis and at the start of diapause were higher than that in post-diapause eggs. The contents of Glu, Asp, Leu, Pro and Arg during diapause were significantly higher than those during post-diapause development. Results indicate that G. sibiricus eggs have a high supercooling capacity. Successful overwintering can be attributed to the accumulation of glycerol, fructose, sorbitol, and amino acids (Glu, Asp, Leu, Pro and Arg). These findings provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the adaptation of G. sibiricus to cold conditions.

NUPR1 participates in YAP-mediate gastric cancer malignancy and drug resistance via AKT and p21 activation.

OBJECTIVES: To assess nuclear protein 1 (NUPR1) level in human gastric cancer (GC) cells, explore the effects of NUPR1 on GC progression, and investigate the possible regulatory mechanism. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry (IHC), Immunoblot and quantitative PCR assays were conducted to detect the NUPR1 level in human GC tissues and corresponding normal tissues. Also, NUPR1 expression level correlates with clinical features of GC patients. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-Yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT), transwell assays, Immunoblot assays, and flow cytometry (FCM) assays were used to evaluate the effects of NUPR1 on the proliferation, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) and apoptosis of GC cells in vitro. Immunoblot assays were performed to detect the potential mechanism in NUPR1-mediated drug resistance. KEY FINDINGS: We found the expression of NUPR1 was upregulated in human gastric cancer tissues and correlated with the clinical features including tumour size, tumour stage and, lymph node metastasis. We further noticed that the depletion of NUPR1 inhibited the invasion and EMT of gastric cancer cells and stimulated the apoptosis. In doxorubicin-resistant gastric cancer cells, yes-associated protein (YAP) activation was up-regulated, and YAP could regulate the expression of NUPR1 to affect drug-resistance. We further provided the evidence that overexpression of NUPR1 reversed the effect of YAP knockdown on cell malignancy and drug resistance via regulating AKT and p21 pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicated the involvement of NUPR1 in the progression of gastric cancer and elucidated its molecular mechanism in regulating drug resistance.

Safety, Survival, and Efficacy of Preserving Left Colonic Artery in Rectal Cancer Surgery: A Meta-Analysis and Review.

Purpose: This study analyzes the effect, long-term survival rate, and complications about preserving the left colonic artery (LCAP) in rectal cancer surgery. Methods: Relevant articles were systematically retrieved from multiple electronic databases, for example, EMBASE, BioMed Central, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane. The time for retrieving was from the establishment of the database to December 31, 2018. Evaluated endpoints were effect of LCAP on the curative effect of rectal neoplasms, such as operation time, the amount of bleeding during the operation, root lymph nodes positive number, and the related complications (anastomotic leakage, etc.), postoperative urinary retention, 5-year survival rate, and recurrence differences in rates. Results: Totally 12 studies were included in this review. The meta-analysis showed that LCAP has less operation time and lower anastomotic leakage incidence. Intraoperative bleeding, root lymph nodes, and other complications did not show any significant difference. Conclusions: LCAP in radical rectal cancer surgery ensures both the radical resection of the tumor and the safety of the operation. So it can provide a new approach to the management of blood vessels and lymph nodes.

Sustained-released mixture of vascular endothelial growth factor 165 and fibrin glue strengthens healing of ileal anastomoses in a rabbit model with intraperitoneal infection.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of a sustained-released mixture of vascular endothelial growth factor 165 (VEGF165) and fibrin glue (FG) local administration on postoperative rabbit ileal anastomoses. METHODS: One hundred twenty-eight male and female New Zealand white rabbits underwent intraperitoneal infection subsequent ileal anastomosis surgery were divided randomly into 4 groups, including 32 animals in each, applied with saline solution, FG, rhVEGF165 and a mixture of rhVEGF165 with FG (VEGF + FG) on the anastomoses, respectively. The incidences of anastomotic leakage were observed. Histopathological examination for inflammatory infiltration, fibroblast proliferation, and capillary vascular proliferation were performed. Then, bursting pressure and hydroxyproline concentrations were assessed in anastomoses sits on postoperative days 3, 5, 7, and 14. RESULTS: Rabbits in VEGF + FG group had the lowest incidence of leakage (P < 0.05). Histological evaluations revealed that granulation tissue was formed on days 5 after anastomosis; fibroblast proliferation and capillary vascular proliferation were significantly increased on days 7 and 14 in VEGF + FG group. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant difference in the mean bursting pressures between VEGF + FG group and other groups on days 7 and 14 (P < 0.05), and rabbits in VEGF + FG group exhibited a higher concentration than VEGF group (P < 0.05) and FG group (P < 0.05) on day 14. CONCLUSION: Administration of VEGF165 mixed with FG to ileal anastomosis accelerates wound healing and enhances the anastomosis by increased angiogenesis.

Downregulation of Piwil3 suppresses cell proliferation, migration and invasion in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Recent studies reported that Piwil3 was overexpressed in various cancers, including gastric cancer (GC). This study was intended to investigate its function and mechanism in GC progress. METHODS: Quantitative real time PCR(RT-PCR) and western blotting assays were utilized to measure mRNA and protein expression levels, respectively. SiRNA transfection was performed to suppress the expression of Piwil3. CCK-8 assay, cell invasion and migration assays were used to determine the cell proliferative, cell invasive and migratory ability. RESULTS: The expression of Piwil3 was significantly increased in GC tissues compared with matched normal tissues. The specific siRNA significantly inhibited the protein and mRNA expressions of Piwil3, and effectively inhibited the proliferation and induced G0/G1 phase arrest in GC cells. Downregulation of Piwil3 significantly suppressed the migration and invasion of GC cells. Moreover, the downregulation of Piwil3 also significantly suppressed the tumor volumes in nude mice. Mechanism investigation showed that the downregulation of Piwil3 significantly decreased the mRNA and protein expressions of metastasis-related genes, including RhoC, MTA1, MMP2 and MMP9, and also modulated the phosphorylation levels of JAK2 and STAT3 but not their protein levels. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that overexpression of Piwil3 promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion of GC cells partially through JAK2/STAT3 signal pathway.

[Progression of preoperative regional arterial infusion chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer].

The outcome of surgery alone for advanced gastric cancer is unsatisfactory. Local recurrence rate and distant metastasis rate are still high in postoperative patients. In recent years, people have paid more attention to neo- adjuvant chemotherapy, because it can reduce tumor loading, degrade the staging, increase the surgery excision rate and improve the long-term survival. Preoperative regional arterial infusion chemotherapy can directly act on the tumor endothelial cells with higher local drug concentration, but with fewer systemic side effects. So it may offer an effective treatment for advanced gastric cancer. The indications, complications, therapeutic evaluation, timing of surgery, chemotherapy regimens and pathomorphological changes and so on of the preoperative regional arterial infusion chemotherapy are summarized in this review.