The association between urinary sodium and the risk of dementia: Evidence from a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Sodium intake reduction is crucial for cardiovascular health, however, its lasting impact on dementia remains unclear. METHODS: We included 458,577 UK Biobank participants without dementia at baseline. We estimated 24-h urinary sodium (E24hUNa) using spot urinary parameters and obtained the incidence of all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia from multiple sources. RESULTS: The mean E24hUNa was 3.0 g (1st-99th percentile: 1.5 g-5.1 g). Over a mean follow-up of 13.6 years, 7886 (1.7 %) participants developed all-cause dementia, including 3763 (0.8 %) Alzheimer's disease and 1851 (0.4 %) vascular dementia. In the restricted cubic spline model, we identify a potential cutoff of 3.13 g for E24hUNa, below which each 1 g decrease in E24hUNa was associated with 21 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.11-1.34) higher all-cause dementia risk and 35 % (95 % CI 1.11-1.63) higher vascular dementia risk (P-value <0.001 for non-linearity). The hazard ratios were 1.15 (95 % CI, 1.07-1.24) for all-cause dementia and 1.21 (95 % CI 1.04-1.40) for vascular dementia among individuals with E24hUNa below 3.13 g compared to those with E24hUNa higher than 3.13 g. LIMITATIONS: One of the major limitations is the estimation of 24-h urinary sodium with spot urine samples. CONCLUSIONS: An E24hUNa level below 3.13 g, equivalent to 3.37 g daily sodium intake, is associated with increased risks of all-cause and vascular dementia. This exploratory study suggests a potential lower limit below which the risk of dementia increases with a lower sodium level. Future studies are necessary to validate our findings.

MolPhase, an advanced prediction algorithm for protein phase separation.

We introduce MolPhase, an advanced algorithm for predicting protein phase separation (PS) behavior that improves accuracy and reliability by utilizing diverse physicochemical features and extensive experimental datasets. MolPhase applies a user-friendly interface to compare distinct biophysical features side-by-side along protein sequences. By additional comparison with structural predictions, MolPhase enables efficient predictions of new phase-separating proteins and guides hypothesis generation and experimental design. Key contributing factors underlying MolPhase include electrostatic pi-interactions, disorder, and prion-like domains. As an example, MolPhase finds that phytobacterial type III effectors (T3Es) are highly prone to homotypic PS, which was experimentally validated in vitro biochemically and in vivo in plants, mimicking their injection and accumulation in the host during microbial infection. The physicochemical characteristics of T3Es dictate their patterns of association for multivalent interactions, influencing the material properties of phase-separating droplets based on the surrounding microenvironment in vivo or in vitro. Robust integration of MolPhase's effective prediction and experimental validation exhibit the potential to evaluate and explore how biomolecule PS functions in biological systems.

[Pollution Characteristics and Source Apportionment of VOCs in Urban Areas of Liaocheng in Summer].

Based on the online monitoring data of volatile organic compounds(VOCs) and ozone(O3) in Liaocheng in June 2021, the concentration levels, compositional characteristics, daily variation characteristics, and ozone formation potential(OFP) of VOCs on polluted days and clean days were systematically analyzed. Potential source areas of VOCs were identified by the potential source contribution function(PSCF) and concentration-weighted trajectory(CWT). The sources of VOCs in Liaocheng were analyzed using the characteristic species ratio and positive matrix factorization(PMF). The results showed that the hourly mean values of VOCs concentrations on polluted days and clean days in Liaocheng in June 2021 were(115.38±59.12) µg·m-3 and(88.10±33.04) µg·m-3, respectively, and the concentration levels of VOCs in each category showed that oxygenated volatile organic compounds(OVOCs)>alkanes>halogenated hydrocarbons>aromatic hydrocarbons>alkenes>alkynes>organosulfur. VOCs species with large differences in concentrations between polluted and clean days were among the top ten species of the hourly mean VOCs concentrations. The daily trends of concentrations of total VOCs, alkanes, alkynes, aromatic hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, and organosulfur showed that the daytime concentrations were lower than the nighttime concentrations, and the daily changes in OVOCs concentrations showed the characteristics of high in the daytime and low at nighttime. The OFP was 285.29 µg·m-3 on polluted days and 212.00 µg·m-3 on clean days, and OVOCs, alkenes, and aromatic hydrocarbons contributed significantly to ozone formation. The PSCF and CWT results found that the potential source areas of VOCs in Liaocheng were concentrated in the northern and northeastern part of Dongchangfu District and the central and southwestern part of Chiping District. The results of the characteristic species ratio indicated that the VOCs in Liaocheng might have been more from coal combustion, gasoline volatilization, and motor vehicle exhaust. The results of PMF showed that industrial emission sources(30.57%), motor vehicle exhaust and oil and gas volatilization sources(19.44%), combustion sources(17.23%), air aging and secondary generation sources(13.69%), solvent usage sources(12.75%), and natural sources(6.32%) were the main sources of VOCs in Liaocheng.

Urinary exosomes derived circRNAs as biomarkers for chronic renal fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic renal disease (CKD) is a common and irreversible loss of renal function. Renal fibrosis reflected the degree of renal dysfunction. However, the current biomarkers only characterize the renal function instead of indicating the fibrosis degree. The potential diagnostic value of urinary exosomes derived circRNAs for renal fibrosis needs to be further studied. METHODS: Urine exosomes from 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients without renal fibrosis and 3 renal fibrotic patients were collected and human circRNAs microarray analysis were performed to detect the circRNAs expression profile. 110 biopsy-proven CKD patients and 54 healthy controls were enrolled and urine exosomes derived RNA was isolated. The expression of hsa_circ_0036649 was measured and the correlation with renal function parameter and pathological indicators was performed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the diagnosis of renal fibrosis was calculated. RESULTS: Human circRNAs microarray showed 365 circRNAs up expressed and 195 circRNAs down expressed in renal fibrotic patients compared to none fibrosis CKD patients. The expression of hsa_circ_0036649 was decreased in renal fibrotic patients according to RT-PCR and correlated with serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), estimated glomerular filtration rate and cystatin c. Further, the expression of hsa_circ_0036649 was correlated with the score of tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF) and the score of glomerular sclerosis. The ROC curve showed that hsa_circ_0036649 may predict renal fibrosis at a cut-off value of 0.597 with a sensitivity of 45.5% and specificity of 87.9%. CONCLUSION: Expression of urinary exosomes derived hsa_circ_0036649 associated with the degree of renal fibrosis. Its potential role as a biomarker in CKD remained to be supported by further follow-up studies.Key MessagescircRNAs profile in urine exosomes in renal fibrosis patients was revealed.The expression of urine exosomes derived hsa_circ_0036649 was correlated to renal function and fibrosis degree.circRNAs derived from urinary exosomes may become a new research direction for biomarkers of renal fibrosis.

The ratio of urinary TREM-1/TREM-2 mRNA expression in chronic kidney disease and renal fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: The non-invasive identification of novel renal fibrosis biomarkers needs to be further studied. METHODS: We collected urine samples from 77 biopsy-proven CKD patients and 15 healthy controls. The expression of urinary TREM-1 and TREM-2 was measured and the correlation with renal function parameter and pathological indicators was performed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the diagnosis of renal fibrosis was calculated. The protein expression of TREM-1 and TREM-2 in kidney tissues was measured. RESULTS: The TREM-1/TREM-2 ratio was decreased in CKD patients and correlated with serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate and cystatin c. Further, the TREM-1/TREM-2 ratio was significantly decreased in moderate-severe fibrosis patients compared with none-mild renal fibrosis. TREM-1/TREM-2 ratio was correlated with the score of tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF) and the score of glomerular sclerosis. The ROC curve showed that the urinary TREM-1/TREM-2 ratio can diagnosemoderate-severe renal fibrosis at a cut-off value of 1.338 with a sensitivity of 86.4% and specificity of 81.8%. In human moderate-severe fibrosis kidney tissue, the protein expression of TREM-1 was lower and the TREM-2 was higher than none-mild fibrosis kidney tissue. CONCLUSION: Urinary TREM-1/TREM-2 ratio was a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of renal fibrosis in CKD patients.

Hsa_circ_0006872 promotes cigarette smoke-induced apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress in HPMECs and BEAS-2B cells through the miR-145-5p/NF-κB axis.

Cigarette smoke is a major cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are involved in regulating various biological processes. This study aimed to explore the role and molecular basis of hsa_circ_0006872 in cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced cell injury. HPMECs and BEAS-2B cells were treated with CSE to mimic COPD in vitro. The levels of hsa_circ_0006872 and miR-145-5p were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Cell proliferation was assessed via Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate apoptosis and cell cycle. The levels of inflammatory factors were assayed via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The levels of oxidative stress markers were determined via commercial kits. The interaction between hsa_circ_0006872 and miR-145-5p was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay. Protein expression was measured using Western blot assay. Hsa_circ_0006872 level was elevated in COPD patients and was negatively correlated with miR-145-5p level. CSE exposure promoted apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress of HPMECs and BEAS-2B cells, while hsa_circ_0006872 down-regulation undermined the effects. In addition, hsa_circ_0006872 silencing inhibited CSE-induced cell injury via regulating miR-145-5p. Moreover, CSE contributed to the activation of NF-κB pathway through hsa_circ_0006872/miR-145-5p axis. Hsa_circ_0006872 facilitated CSE-triggered apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress in HPMECs and BEAS-2B cells by regulating miR-145-5p/NF-κB pathway.

A dataset of the Plio-Pleistocene at IODP Site U1489: Benthic foraminifera stable carbon and oxygen isotopes, coarse fraction, and selected benthic foraminifera abundances.

Site U1489 was drilled during the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 363 and is located on the western slope of the southern Eauripik Rise (2.12°N, 141.03°E, 3421 m water depth). We collected 183 samples from the upper ∼84 m of Site U1489 with an average sampling interval of ~50 cm, and performed the analyses of sediment washing and sieving, benthic foraminifera stable carbon and oxygen isotopes, and the relative abundance of selected benthic foraminifera. The data of these analyses are discussed in "Possible linkage between the long-eccentricity marine carbon cycle and the deep-Pacific circulation: Western equatorial Pacific benthic foraminifera evidences of the last 4Ma" [1], which provide a series of Plio-Pleistocene records of the western equatorial Pacific serving for regional and global comparisons of changes in the deep Pacific water mass properties and circulation.

An experimental and kinetic study of thermal decomposition of phenanthrene.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have enormous potential hazards. It is necessary for China to propose more internationally stricter standards for PAHs, in order to improve the country's pollutant prevention and control policy system, and ultimately, provide institutional guarantees for implementing PAH emissions prevention and control. In this study, phenanthrene, a typical PAHs generated during municipal solid waste (MSW) to energy system, was applied as a model compound to study the thermal degradation mechanism during the combustion process. Combustion kinetics for the three major gaseous products, including hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide, were determined. Experimental results indicated that hydrogen was promoted compared to methane and carbon dioxide during the combustion of phenanthrene, especially in high oxygen concentrations. The apparent activation energy (Ea) of 8.299-11.51, 13.10-23.07, and 9.368-15.29 kJ/mol, pre-exponential factor (A) of 0.219-1.579, 5.034-10.12, and 6.553-15.51 s-1, and the reaction order (n) of 1.160-1.234, 1.059-1.305, and 1.636-1.774 were obtained for hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide, respectively. Research on combustion behavior of phenanthrene and reaction kinetics provides the theoretical basis for the high-temperature removal of PAHs as byproducts during the combustion of MSW in oxygen-rich atmosphere.

Effect of hydrothermal carbonization on migration and environmental risk of heavy metals in sewage sludge during pyrolysis.

The heavy metals distribution during hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of sewage sludge, and pyrolysis of the resultant hydrochar was investigated and compared with raw sludge pyrolysis. The results showed that HTC reduced exchangeable/acid-soluble and reducible fraction of heavy metals and lowered the potential risk of heavy metals in sewage sludge. The pyrolysis favored the transformation of extracted/mobile fraction of heavy metals to residual form especially at high temperature, immobilizing heavy metals in the chars. Compared to the chars from raw sludge pyrolysis, the chars derived from hydrochar pyrolysis was more alkaline and had lower risk and less leachable heavy metals, indicating that pyrolysis imposed more positive effect on immobilization of heavy metals for the hydrochar than for sewage sludge. The present study demonstrated that HTC is a promising pretreatment prior to pyrolysis from the perspective of immobilization of heavy metals in sewage sludge.

Molecular cytogenetic identification of a wheat - Thinopyrum ponticum substitution line with stripe rust resistance.

Thinopyrum ponticum (Th. ponticum) (2n = 10x = 70) is an important breeding material with excellent resistance and stress tolerance. In this study, we characterized the derivative line CH1113-B13-1-1-2-1 (CH1113-B13) through cytological, morphological, genomic in situ hybridization (GISH), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), expressed sequence tag (EST), and PCR-based landmark unique gene (PLUG) marker analysis. The GISH analysis revealed that CH1113-B13 contained 20 pairs of common wheat chromosomes and one pair of JSt genomic chromosomes. Linkage analysis of Th. ponticum using seven EST and seven PLUG markers indicated that the pair of alien chromosomes belonged to the seventh homeologous group. Nulli-tetrasomic and FISH analysis revealed that wheat 7B chromosomes were absent in CH1113-B13; thus, CH1113-B13 was identified as a 7JSt (7B) substitution line. Finally, adult-stage CH1113-B13 exhibited immunity to wheat stripe rust. This substitution line is therefore a promising germplasm resource for wheat breeding.

Heteroatoms doped porous carbon derived from hydrothermally treated sewage sludge: Structural characterization and environmental application.

The heteroatoms (N and S) doped porous carbons (HAPCs) were prepared from sewage sludge by hydrothermal carbonization and chemical activation for the first time. The porous structures and surface properties of HAPCs were characterized by multiple techniques including SEM-EDS, TEM, BET, XRD, Raman spectroscopy and Boehm's titration. The resultant materials were showed to be naturally N and S dual-doped porous carbons (HAPCs), especially for HAPCHCl+HF obtained by HCl-HF-washing, which was typical 3D hierarchically porous structure with abundant mesopores as well as big pore diameter. Then the performance of HAPCHCl+HF on AO7 removal was determined through Response surface methodology. The results showed the adsorption behavior obeyed Langmuir isotherm model and the maximum adsorption capacity was up to 440.53 mg g-1 at 25 °C. Kinetics study revealed that the adsorption followed pseudo second-order kinetic and intra-particle diffusion was the main control step. The high removal rate of AO7 was ascribed to the unique properties of HAPCHCl+HF. The great Vmes and big pore diameter facilitated the diffusion of AO7 into the intra surface of particle. Meanwhile, the basic groups and doping of N and S made HAPCHCl+HF surface had positive charges, then strong π-π stacking interaction and electrostatic attraction contributed to the highly effective adsorption. This study indicated hydrothermal carbonization coupled with chemical activation was a cost-effective approach to prepare efficient heteroatoms doped porous carbon from sewage sludge towards azo dye contaminated wastewater treatment.

Molecular cytogenetics identification of a wheat - Leymus mollis double disomic addition line with stripe rust resistance.

Leymus mollis (Trin.) Pilg. (2n = 4x = 28, NsNsXmXm) possesses a number of valuable genes against biotic and abiotic stress, which could be transferred into common wheat background for wheat improvement. In the present study, we determined the karyotypic constitution of a wheat - L. mollis double disomic addition line, M11003-4-4-1-1, selected from the F5 progeny of a stable wheat - L. mollis derivative M39 (2n = 56) × Triticum aestivum cultivar 7182, by morphological and cytogenetic identification, GISH (genomic in situ hybridization), FISH (fluorescent in situ hybridization), molecular markers analysis, and stripe rust resistance evaluation. Cytological studies demonstrated that M11003-4-4-1-1 had a chromosome karyotype of 2n = 46 with 23 bivalents, while GISH and FISH analysis indicated that this line contained 42 common wheat chromosomes and two pairs of L. mollis chromosomes. DNA markers showed that the alien chromosomes from L. mollis belonged to homoeologous groups 5 and 6. Evaluation of the agronomic traits revealed that M11003-4-4-1-1 was resistant to stripe rust at the adult stage, while the plant height was reduced and the 1000-grain weight was increased significantly. Therefore, the new line M11003-4-4-1-1 could be exploited as an important bridge material in chromosome engineering and wheat breeding.

Removal of azo dye by a highly graphitized and heteroatom doped carbon derived from fish waste: Adsorption equilibrium and kinetics.

A highly graphitized and heteroatom doped porous carbon was prepared from fish waste in the present study. The morphology and chemical composition of the resultant porous carbon were characterized by SEM-EDS, TEM, BET, XRD and Raman measurement. The prepared porous carbon was employed as an adsorbent for acid orange 7, a typical azo dye, removal from aqueous solution. The results showed that the porous carbon had ultrahigh surface area of 2146 m(2)/g, a high degree of graphitization structure and naturally doped with nitrogen and phosphorous. The maximum adsorption capacity of acid orange 7 reached 285.71 mg/g due to unique property of the prepared porous carbon. In addition, acid orange 7 adsorption onto the porous carbon well followed pseudo-second-order kinetics model and acid orange 7 diffusion in micropores was the potential rate controlling step.

Emission, distribution and toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during municipal solid waste (MSW) and coal co-combustion.

Emission and distribution characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated during municipal solid waste (MSW) and coal combustion alone and MSW/coal blend (MSW weight fraction of 25%) co-combustion within a temperature range of 500°C-900°C. The results showed that for all combustion experiments, flue gas occupied the highest proportion of total PAHs and fly ash contained more high-ring PAHs. Moreover, the 3- and 4-ring PAHs accounted for the majority of total PAHs and Ant or Phe had the highest concentrations. Compared to coal, MSW combustion generated high levels of total PAHs with the range of 111.28µg/g-10,047.22µg/g and had high toxicity equivalent value (TEQ). MSW/coal co-combustion generated the smallest amounts of total PAHs and had the lowest TEQ than MSW and coal combustion alone. Significant synergistic interactions occurred between MSW and coal during co-combustion and the interactions suppressed the formation of PAHs, especially hazardous high-ring PAHs and decreased the TEQ. The present study indicated that the reduction of the yield and toxicity of PAHs can be achieved by co-combustion of MSW and coal.

Co-liquefaction of microalgae and lignocellulosic biomass in subcritical water.

This study investigated co-liquefaction of microalgae (Chlorella pyrenoidosa, CP) and lignocellulosic biomass (Rice husk, RH) in subcritical water for bio-oil production. The effects of liquefaction temperature (200-350°C), residence time (10-90min), solid concentration (10-30wt.%) and mass ratio of CP/RH on product distribution were investigated. The results showed that the highest yield of bio-crude oils at the combination of 50% CP with 50% RH was obtained at 300°C temperature, 60min residence time and 20wt.% solid concentration. The oil yields increased gradually with the increased mass ratio of CP/RH. The major compounds identified in bio-crude oils from hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of RH were cyclic oxygenates (20.62%), followed by esters, ketones and alcohols (17.19%). As for CP, the main components were straight & branched amides (28.38%). A synergistic interaction was observed between CP and RH during co-liquefaction, resulting in decreased acidity and nitrogen content of bio-crude oils.

Combustion behavior and kinetics of low-lipid microalgae via thermogravimetric analysis.

Thermogravimetric analysis and differential thermal analysis were employed to investigate combustion characteristics of two low-lipid microalgae, Chlorella pyrenoidosa (CP) and Spirulina platensis (SP) and iso-conversional Starink approach was used to calculate the kinetic parameters in the present study. The results showed that three stages of mass loss, including dehydration, devolatilization and char oxidation, were observed during combustion of both of two low-lipid microalgae. The whole weight loss of combustion of two microalgae was both shifted to higher temperature zones with increased heating rates from 10 to 40 K/min. In the 0.1-0.9 conversion range, the apparent activation energy of CP increased first from 51.96 to 79.53 kJ/mol, then decreased to 55.59 kJ/mol. Finally, it slightly increased to 67.27 kJ/mol. In the case of SP, the apparent activation energy gradually increased from 68.51 to 91.06 kJ/mol.

Heat shock proteins HSP70 and MRJ cooperatively regulate cell adhesion and migration through urokinase receptor.

BACKGROUND: The urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) is an important regulator of ECM proteolysis, cell-ECM interactions and cell signaling. uPAR and heat shock proteins HSP70 and MRJ (DNAJB6) have been implicated in tumor growth and metastasis. We have reported recently that MRJ (DNAJB6, a heat shock protein) can interact with uPAR and enhance cell adhesion. Here, we identified another heat shock protein HSP70 as a novel uPAR-interacting protein. METHODS: We performed co-immunoprecipitation in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 and colon cancer HCT116 cells as well as immunofluorence assays in HEK293 cells stably transfected with uPAR to investigate the association of suPAR with HSP70/MRJ. To understand the biological functions of the triple complex of suPAR/HSP70/MRJ, we determined whether HSP70 and/or MRJ regulated uPAR-mediated cell invasion, migration, adhesion to vitronectin and MAPK pathway in two pair of human tumor cells (uPAR negative HEK293 cells vs HEK293 cells stably transfected with uPAR and HCT116 cells stably transfected with antisense-uPAR vs HCT116 mock cells transfected with vector only) using transwell assay, wound healing assay, quantitative RT-PCR analyzing mmp2 and mmp9 transcription levels, cell adhesion assay and Western blotting assay. RESULTS: HSP70 and MRJ formed a triple complex with uPAR and over-expression of MRJ enhanced the interaction between HSP70 and uPAR, while knockdown of MRJ decreased soluble uPAR in HCT116 cells (P < 0.05) and reduced the formation of the triple complex, suggesting that MRJ may act as an uPAR-specific adaptor protein to link uPAR to HSP70. Further experiments showed that knockdown of HSP70 and/or MRJ by siRNA inhibited uPAR-mediated cell adhesion to vitronectin as well as suppressed cell invasion and migration. Knockdown of HSP70 and/or MRJ inhibited expression of invasion related genes mmp2 and mmp9. Finally, HSP70 and/or MRJ up-regulated phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2 and FAK suggesting MAPK pathway was involved. All the biological function experiments in cell level showed an additive effect when HSP70 and MRJ were regulated simultaneously indicating their collaborated regulation effects on uPAR. CONCLUSIONS: These findings may offer a novel insight into the interactions between uPAR and HSP70/MRJ and their functions in cell adhesion and migration may provide more understanding of the roles in regulating cancer metastasis.

Herbal compound triptolide synergistically enhanced antitumor activity of amino-terminal fragment of urokinase.

BACKGROUND: Urokinase (uPA) and its receptor (uPAR) play an important role in tumour growth and metastasis, and overexpression of these molecules is strongly correlated with poor prognosis in a variety of malignant tumours. Targeting the excessive activation of this system as well as the proliferation of the tumour vascular endothelial cell would be expected to prevent tumour neovasculature and halt tumour development. The amino terminal fragment (ATF) of urokinase has been confirmed effective to inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasiveness of cancer cells via interrupting the interaction of uPA and uPAR. Triptolide (TPL) is a purified diterpenoid isolated from the Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F that has shown antitumor activities in various cancer cell types. However, its therapeutic application is limited by its toxicity in normal tissues and complications caused in patients. In this study, we attempted to investigate the synergistic anticancer activity of TPL and ATF in various solid tumour cells. METHODS: Using in vitro and in vivo experiments, we investigated the combined effect of TPL and ATF at a low dosage on cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, cell migration, signalling pathways, xenograft tumour growth and angiogenesis. RESULTS: Our data showed that the sensitivity of a combined therapy using TPL and ATF was higher than that of TPL or ATF alone. Suppression of NF-κB transcriptional activity, activation of caspase-9/caspase-3, cell cycle arrest, and inhibition of uPAR-mediated signalling pathway contributed to the synergistic effects of this combination therapy. Furthermore, using a mouse xenograft model, we demonstrated that the combined treatment completely suppressed tumour growth by inhibiting angiogenesis as compared with ATF or TPL treatment alone. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that lower concentration of ATF and TPL used in combination may produce a synergistic anticancer efficacy that warrants further investigation for its potential clinical applications.

Effect of dosing sequence and solution pH on floc properties of the compound bioflocculant-aluminum sulfate dual-coagulant in kaolin-humic acid solution treatment.

The compound bioflocculant (CBF)-aluminum sulfate (AS) dual-coagulant and AS were comparatively studied for the coagulation of kaolin-humic acid solution. Floc properties including floc growth rate, size, strength, recoverability and fractal dimension under different pH conditions were investigated by Mastersizer 2000. Results indicated that, the flocs formed by AS-CBF (AS dosed first) showed the largest size and the best recoverability across the pH range investigated. While flocs formed by CBF-AS gave the most compact structure. The three coagulants exhibited similar floc growth rate and strength. Moreover, flocs formed in acidic conditions were stronger and more recoverable but showed lower growth rate, smaller size and looser structure compared to those formed at pH>6 regardless of the coagulant used. Charge neutralization was the dominant mechanism for AS at low pH, while the coagulation mechanism transformed to enmeshment as the pH increased. There was an additional adsorption bridging effect for AS-CBF and CBF-AS.