Mechanism of crocin I on ANIT-induced intrahepatic cholestasis by combined metabolomics and transcriptomics.

Background: Intrahepatic cholestasis (IC) is a disorder of bile production, secretion, and excretion with various causes. Crocin I (CR) is effective in the treatment of IC, but its underlying mechanisms need to be further explored. We aimed to reveal the therapeutic mechanism of crocin I for IC by combining an integrated strategy of metabolomics and transcriptomics. Methods: The hepatoprotective effect of CR against cholestasis liver injury induced by α-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) was evaluated in rats. The serum biochemical indices, including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bile acid (TBA), total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß), as well as the liver oxidative stress indexes and the pathological characteristics of the liver were analyzed. In addition, we also performed a serum metabolomics study using UPLC-Q Exactive HF-X technology to investigate the effect of CR on the serum of rats with ANIT-induced IC and screened potential biomarkers. The enrichment analysis of differential expressed genes (DEGs) was performed by transcriptomics. Finally, the regulatory targets of CR on potential biomarkers were obtained by combined analysis, and the relevant key targets were verified by western blotting. Results: CR improved serum and liver homogenate indexes and alleviated liver histological injury. Compared with ANIT group, the CR group had 76 differential metabolites, and 10 metabolic pathways were enriched. There were 473 DEGs significantly changed after CR treatment, most of which were enriched in the retinol metabolism, calcium signaling pathway, PPAR signaling pathway, circadian rhythm, chemokine signaling pathway, arachidonic acid metabolism, bile secretion, primary bile acid biosynthesis, and other pathways. By constructing the "compound-reaction-enzyme-gene" interaction network, three potential key-target regulation biomarkers were obtained, including 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR), ATP-binding cassette transporter G5 (ABCG5), and sulfotransferase2A1(SULT2A1), which were further verified by western blotting. Compared with the ANIT group, the CR group significantly increased the expression of ABCG5 and SULT2A1, and the expression of HMGCR significantly decreased. Conclusion: Combined metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses show that CR has a therapeutic effect on IC through regulation of the biosynthesis of bile acids and bilirubin in the bile secretion pathway and regulation of the expression of HMGCR, ABCG5, and SULT2A1.

Protective effects of astaxanthin on lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in bovine endometrial epithelial cells†.

Astaxanthin (AST), a natural antioxidant carotenoid, has been shown to exert anti-inflammatory effects. However, to our knowledge, no study has specifically addressed the potential protective effects of AST against bovine endometritis. The purpose of this study was to examine whether treatment with AST could protect endometrial epithelial cells against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory injury. Treatment of bovine endometrial (BEND) epithelial cell line with AST reduced LPS-induced production of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, increased the cellular activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase, decreased the proportion of apoptotic cells, and promoted the production of insulin-like growth factor and epithelial growth factor. The effects of AST were mediated through the downregulation of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) associated X, apoptosis regulator (Bax), and cleaved caspase-3 and through the upregulation of Bcl-2. Moreover, AST significantly increased the expression of the tight junction proteins (TJP) claudin, cadherin-1, and TJP1, which play an essential role in the maintenance of host endometrial defense barrier against pathogen infection. Collectively, these results demonstrated that treatment with AST protected against oxidative stress, prevented cell apoptosis, promoted BEND cells viability, and increased the production of growth factors, in addition to activating the endometrial defense barrier. Therefore, AST is a promising therapeutic agent for the prevention and treatment of endometritis. This finding is of utmost importance in the present times when the excessive use of antibiotics has resulted in the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Three-dimensional ionic liquid functionalized magnetic graphene oxide nanocomposite for the magnetic dispersive solid phase extraction of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in vegetable oils.

In this paper, a novel three-dimensional ionic liquid functionalized magnetic graphene oxide nanocomposite (3D-IL@mGO) was prepared, and used as an effective adsorbent for the magnetic dispersive solid phase extraction (MSPE) of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in vegetable oil prior to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The properties of 3D-IL@mGO were characterized by scanning electron micrographs (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The 3D-IL@mGO, functionalized by ionic liquid, exhibited high adsorption toward PAHs. Compared to molecularly imprinted solid phase extraction (MISPE), the MSPE method based on 3D-IL@mGO had less solvent consumption and low cost, and was more efficent to light PAHs in quantitative analysis. Furthermore, the rapid and accurate GC-MS method coupled with 3D-IL@mGO MSPE procedure was successfully applied for the analysis of 16 PAHs in eleven vegetable oil samples from supermarket in Zhejiang Province. The results showed that the concentrations of BaP in 3 out of 11 samples were higher than the legal limit (2.0µg/kg, Commission Regulation 835/2011a), the sum of 8 heavy PAHs (BaA, CHR, BbF, BkF, BaP, IcP, DaA, BgP) in 11 samples was between 3.03µg/kg and 229.5µg/kg. Validation results on linearity, specificity, accuracy, precision and stability, as well as on application to the analysis of PAHs in oil samples demonstrated the applicability to food safety risk monitoring in China.

Economic burden and its associated factors of hospitalized patients infected with A (H7N9) virus: a retrospective study in Eastern China, 2013-2014.

BACKGROUND: H7N9 continues to cause human infections and remains a pandemic concern. Understanding the economic impacts of this novel disease is important for making decisions on health resource allocation, including infectious disease prevention and control investment. However, there are limited data on such impacts. METHODS: Hospitalized laboratory-confirmed H7N9 patients or their families in Jiangsu Province of China were interviewed. Patients' direct medical costs of hospitalization were derived from their hospital bills. A generalized linear model was employed to estimate the mean direct medical costs of patients with different characteristics. RESULTS: The mean direct cost of hospitalization for H7N9 was estimated to be ¥ 71 060 (95 % CI, 48 180-104 820), i.e., US$ 10 996 (95 % CI, 7 455-16 220), and was ¥12 060 (US$ 1 861), ¥136 120 (US$ 21 001) and ¥218 610 (US$ 33 728) for those who had mild or severe symptoms or who died, respectively. The principal components of the total fees differed among patients with different disease severity, although medication fees were always the largest contributors. Disease severity, proportion of reimbursement and family member monthly average income were identified as the key factors that contributed to a patient's direct medical cost of hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: The direct medical costs of hospitalized patients with H7N9 are significant, and far surpass the annual per capita income of Jiangsu Province, China. The influencing factors identified should be taken into account when developing related health insurance policies and making health resource allocation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable. This is a survey study with no health care intervention implemented on human participants.

Laparoscopic versus open liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma in posterosuperior segments.

BACKGROUND: Traditional open liver resection remains the classic procedure for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) located in the posterosuperior segments of the liver (segments I, IVa, VII, and VIII). This study compared the perioperative and oncologic results for laparoscopic versus open liver resection of HCC located in the posterosuperior segments, especially in patients with cirrhosis. METHODS: This study included 41 patients who underwent laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) and 86 who underwent open liver resection (OLR) for HCC in the posterosuperior segments between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2012. There perioperative course and oncologic outcomes were retrospectively evaluated. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the LLR and OLR groups in length of operation (242.41 ± 73.69 vs. 235.38 ± 65.80 min), transfusion rate (7.3 vs. 14.0 %), R0 resection rate (100 vs. 97.7 %), or tumor size (4.22 ± 2.05 vs. 4.30 ± 1.49 cm). In contrast, postoperative hospital stay (9.44 ± 2.72 vs. 14.53 ± 6.03 days) was significantly shorter, and postoperative complication rates (17.1 vs. 37.2 %) and intraoperative blood loss (272.20 ± 170.86 vs. 450.12 ± 344.70 mL) significantly lower in the LLR than in the OLR group. In addition, there was no significant difference between the two groups (LLR vs. OLR) regarding 1-year overall survival rate (95.1 vs. 89.5 %), 3-year overall survival rate (78 vs. 76.7 %,), 1-year disease-free survival rate (87.8 vs. 82.6 %,), and 3-year disease-free survival rate (70.7 vs. 68.6 %). CONCLUSIONS: LLR for selected patients with HCC in the posterosuperior segments may offer the same oncologic outcomes as conventional procedures, while being associated with such advantages as lower blood loss, fewer postoperative complications, and shorter hospital stay.