A super-hydrophilic graphite directly from lignin enabled by a room-temperature cascade catalytic carbonization.

A cost-effective, and low-energy room-temperature cascade catalytic carbonization strategy is demonstrated for converting lignin into graphite with a high yield of 87 %, a high surface potential of -37 eV and super-hydrophilicity. This super-hydrophilic feature endows the lignin-derived graphite to be dispersed in a variety of polar solvents, which is important for its future applications. Encapsulating of liquid metals with the graphite for electrical circuit patterning on flexible substrates is also advocated. These written patterns show superb conductivity of 4.9 × 106 S/m, offering good performance stability and reliability while being repeatedly stretched, folded, twisted, and bent. This will offer new designs for flexible electronic devices, sensors, and biomedical devices.

Wettability behavior of DTMS modified SiO2: Experimental and molecular dynamics study.

In this research, the wetting behavior of SiO2 modified with dodecyltrimethoxysilane (DTMS) was explored using both experimental and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation approaches. The experimental results reveal that DTMS can chemically bond to the SiO2 surface, and the contact angle (CA) reaches the maximum value of 157.7° when the mass of DTMS is twice that of SiO2. The different wetting behaviors caused by DTMS grafting were analyzed by CA fitting, ionic pairs, concentration distribution, molecule orientation, and interfacial interaction energy. The results demonstrate that a 25 % DTMS grafting rate resulted in a maximum CA of 158.2°, which is ascribed to the disruption of interfacial hydrogen bonding and changes in the hydration structure caused by DTMS grafting. Moreover, the above hydrophobic SiO2 model shows a slight decrease in CA as the water temperature increases, which is consistent with the experimental findings. In contrast, an opposite change was observed for the pristine SiO2 model. Although the higher water temperature enhances the diffusion capacity of water molecules in both models, the difference in interfacial interactions is responsible for the change in CA. We hope this finding will contribute to a deeper understanding of the wetting adjustment of SiO2.

Heat stress induces IL-1ß and IL-18 overproduction via ROS-activated NLRP3 inflammasome: implication in neuroinflammation in mice with heat stroke.

Heat stroke induced cerebral damage via neuroinflammation. This study aimed to approach whether heat stress would promote NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome via reactive oxygen species (ROS). The mice were randomly divided into the sham group, the heat stress group, and the heat stress + TEMPOL (ROS scavenger) group. And the NLRP3 -/- mice were applied and divided into the NLRP3 -/-  + sham group and the NLRP3 -/-  + heat stress group. Furthermore, the BV2 cells were divided into four groups following the intervention measures: the heat stress + TEMPOL group, the heat stress + Z-VAD-FMK (caspase-1 inhibitor) group, the heat stress group, and the control group. ROS levels were examined. The expression levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-1ß, and IL-18 were detected by western blotting and double immunofluorescence. We found that heat stress attack induced excessive ROS in microglia and subsequently activated NLRP3 inflammasome in both mice and BV2 cells. When ROS scavenged, the expression level of NLRP3 was downregulated. Furthermore, with NLRP3 inflammasome activation, the expression levels of caspase-1, IL-1ß, and IL-18 were increased. In NLRP3 -/- mice, however, the caspase-1, IL-1ß, and IL-18 were significantly declined. Further experiments showed that pretreatment of caspase-1 inhibitor decreased the expression levels of IL-1ß and IL-18. These results suggest that heat stress attack caused neuroinflammation via excessive ROS activating the NLRP3 inflammasome in microglia cells.

Joint equalization of frequency offset and phase noise using two-stage cascaded extended Kalman filter for discrete spectrum 16/64APSK NFDM systems.

For the discrete spectrum nonlinear frequency division multiplexing (DS-NFDM) 16/64 amplitude phase shift keying (APSK) system, the inevitable laser impairments including frequency offset (FO) and carrier phase noise (CPN) would cause different rotations of the received signal constellations. In addition, the combined effect of FO and amplifier spontaneous emission (ASE) noise induces the eigenvalue shift, accordingly the residual channel impairment (RCI) is inevitably yielded. To address the above problems, we deduce the joint impairment model of FO, CPN and RCI, and then propose a joint equalization scheme using two-stage cascaded extended Kalman filter (TSC-EKF) for these impairments. It performs frequency offset compensation in the first stage, subsequently carries out joint equalization of CPN and RCI in the second stage. Meanwhile, the minimum Euclidean distance and phase difference between the received symbols and the ideal 16/64APSK constellations are ingeniously fused to calculate the innovations of TSC-EKF. The effectiveness has been verified by 2 GBaud DS-NFDM 16/64 APSK simulations and DS-NFDM 16APSK transmission experiments. The results demonstrate that when performing the joint equalization of FO, CPN and RCI, the maximum FOE range of TSC-EKF scheme achieves 1.2 and 9.6 times as that of nonlinear frequency domain (NFD) scheme and fast Fourier transform -Like (FFT-Like) scheme, respectively. Furthermore, its maximum LW tolerance reaches 3.3 times as that of the M-th power scheme. Importantly, the complexity of TSC-EKF is 63.4% as that of NFD scheme and on an order of O(N).

Microencapsulation with fructooligosaccharides and whey protein enhances the antioxidant activity of anthocyanins and their ability to modulate gut microbiota in vitro.

Anthocyanins are the primary functional pigments in the diet. However, anthocyanins exhibit instability during digestion, coupled with limited bioavailability. Microencapsulation offers anthocyanins a sheltered environment, enhancing their stability and bioactivity. Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and whey protein (WP) commonly serve as wall materials in microencapsulation and represent a significant source of probiotic functionality. Our prior research successfully established a robust microencapsulation system for anthocyanins utilizing FOS and WP. This study investigates the antioxidative capacity, stability during in vitro digestion, modulation on gut microbiota, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production of black soybean skin anthocyanins microencapsulated with FOS and WP (anthocyanin-loaded microencapsule particles, ALM). The results demonstrate that ALM exhibits a superior antioxidant capacity compared to free anthocyanins (ANCs) and cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G). During simulated digestion, ALM exhibits enhanced anthocyanin retention compared with ANC in both gastric and intestinal phases. In comparison with ANC and even non-loaded microcapsules (NLM), in vitro fermentation demonstrates that ALM exhibits the highest gas production and lowered pH, indicating excellent fermentation activity. Furthermore, in comparison with ANC or NLM, ALM exerts a positive influence on the diversity and composition of gut microbiota, with potentially beneficial genera such as Faecalibacterium and Akkermansia exhibiting higher relative abundance. Moreover, ALM stimulates the production of SCFAs, particularly acetic and propionic acids. In conclusion, microencapsulation of anthocyanins with FOS-WP enhances their antioxidative capacity and stability during in vitro digestion. Simultaneously, this microencapsulation illustrates a positive regulatory effect on the intestinal microbiota community and SCFA production, conferring potential health benefits.

Predicting the Efficacy of Novel Synthetic Compounds in the Treatment of Osteosarcoma via Anti-Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-κB Ligand (RANKL)/Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-κB (RANK) Targets.

BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma (OS) currently demonstrates a rising incidence, ranking as the predominant primary malignant tumor in the adolescent demographic. Notwithstanding this trend, the pharmaceutical landscape lacks therapeutic agents that deliver satisfactory efficacy against OS. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to authenticate the outcomes of prior research employing the HM and GEP algorithms, endeavoring to expedite the formulation of efficacious therapeutics for osteosarcoma. METHODS: A robust quantitative constitutive relationship model was engineered to prognosticate the IC50 values of innovative synthetic compounds, harnessing the power of gene expression programming. A total of 39 natural products underwent optimization via heuristic methodologies within the CODESSA software, resulting in the establishment of a linear model. Subsequent to this phase, a mere quintet of descriptors was curated for the generation of non-linear models through gene expression programming. RESULTS: The squared correlation coefficients and s2 values derived from the heuristics stood at 0.5516 and 0.0195, respectively. Gene expression programming yielded squared correlation coefficients and mean square errors for the training set at 0.78 and 0.0085, respectively. For the test set, these values were determined to be 0.71 and 0.0121, respectively. The s2 of the heuristics for the training set was discerned to be 0.0085. CONCLUSION: The analytic scrutiny of both algorithms underscores their commendable reliability in forecasting the efficacy of nascent compounds. A juxtaposition based on correlation coefficients elucidates that the GEP algorithm exhibits superior predictive prowess relative to the HM algorithm for novel synthetic compounds.

Chemical stability of carboxylpyranocyanidin-3-O-glucoside under ß-glucosidase treatment and description of their interaction.

Anthocyanins are susceptible to degradation by ß-glycosidase, resulting in color loss. This study analyzed the impact of ß-glycosidase on carboxylpyranocyanidin-3-O-glucoside (Carboxyl-pycy-3-gluc) and its precursor cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (Cy-3-gluc). Carboxyl-pycy-3-gluc exhibited enhanced stability upon treatment with ß-glucosidase. Ultraviolet-visible and circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed slight changes in the microenvironment and secondary structure of ß-glycosidase when carboxyl-pycy-3-gluc was present. The fluorescence experiment indicated that anthocyanins quench the fluorescence of ß-glycosidase through static quenching via hydrophobic interactions. Molecular docking of six types of carboxylpyranoanthocyanins and their precursors with ß-glycosidase revealed that carboxylpyranoanthocyanins exhibited lower binding affinity than their precursors, consistent with the enzyme kinetic experiment results. The incorporation carboxyl-pycy-3-gluc into Sanhua Plum Juice and Wine endowed them with vivid and stable coloration. The study illustrated that carboxyl-pycy-3-gluc exhibits low binding affinity with ß-glycosidase, thereby maintaining stability and confirming its potential as a colorant.

Protective effect of bioactive components from Rubi fructus against oxidative damage in human ovarian granulosa cells induced by 2,2-azobis (2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride.

BACKGROUND: Diminished ovarian reserve has a serious impact on female reproduction with an increasing incidence every year. An important cause of this is oxidative stress. Rubi fructus, a traditional medicinal and edible plant, has shown therapeutic effects against gynecological diseases. Vanillic acid, isoquercitrin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, kaempferol-3-O-sophoroside, oleanolic acid, tormentic acid, tiliroside, and ellagic acid are the major bioactive components in R. fructus. However, studies involved in the effectiveness and mechanism of these components in oxidative stress-induced ovarian dysfunction are scarce. RESULTS: In this study, the protective mechanisms of the bioactive components were evaluated in human ovarian granulosa cells. Isoquercitrin was significantly superior to other bioactive components in relieving damage in human ovarian granulosa cells induced by 2,2-azobis (2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride, considering enhanced cell viability, reduced reactive oxygen species accumulation, and improved mitochondrial membrane potential level. Isoquercitrin protected human ovarian granulosa cells from oxidative stress by regulating the enzyme activity of glutathione peroxidase, inhibiting cell apoptosis, improving the expression of genes related to oxidative stress, and ameliorating heme oxygenase 1 protein expression. CONCLUSION: Isoquercitrin, a bioactive component in R. fructus, has a significant protective effect on oxidative damage induced by 2,2-azobis (2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride in human ovarian granulosa cells, providing evidence for its potential application in protecting ovarian function. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Loess deposits in the low latitudes of East Asia reveal the ~20-kyr precipitation cycle.

The cycle of precipitation change is key to understanding the driving mechanism of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). However, the dominant cycles of EASM precipitation revealed by different proxy indicators are inconsistent, leading to the "Chinese 100 kyr problem". In this study, we examine a high-resolution, approximately 350,000-year record from a low-latitude loess profile in China. Our analyses show that variations in the ratio of dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate extractable iron to total iron are dominated by the ~20-kyr cycle, reflecting changes in precipitation. In contrast, magnetic susceptibility varies with the ~100-kyr cycle and may be mainly controlled by temperature-induced redox processes or precipitation-induced signal smoothing. Our results suggest that changes in the EASM, as indicated by precipitation in this region, are mainly forced by precession-dominated insolation variations, and that precipitation and temperature may have varied with different cycles over the past ~350,000 years.

Mechanism of action of anthocyanin on the detoxification of foodborne contaminants-A review of recent literature.

Foodborne contaminants refer to substances that are present in food and threaten food safety. Due to the progress in detection technology and the rising concerns regarding public health, there has been a surge in research focusing on the dangers posed by foodborne contaminants. These studies aim to explore and implement strategies that are both safe and efficient in mitigating the associated risks. Anthocyanins, a class of flavonoids, are abundantly present in various plant species, such as blueberries, grapes, purple sweet potatoes, cherries, mulberries, and others. Numerous epidemiological and nutritional intervention studies have provided evidence indicating that the consumption of anthocyanins through dietary intake offers a range of protective effects against the detrimental impact of foodborne contaminants. The present study aims to differentiate between two distinct subclasses of foodborne contaminants: those that are generated during the processing of food and those that originate from the surrounding environment. Furthermore, the impact of anthocyanins on foodborne contaminants was also summarized based on a review of articles published within the last 10 years. However, further investigation is warranted regarding the mechanism by which anthocyanins target foodborne contaminants, as well as the potential impact of individual variations in response. Additionally, it is important to note that there is currently a dearth of clinical research examining the efficacy of anthocyanins as an intervention for mitigating the effects of foodborne pollutants. Thus, by exploring the detoxification effect and mechanism of anthocyanins on foodborne pollutants, this review thereby provides evidence, supporting the utilization of anthocyanin-rich diets as a means to mitigate the detrimental effects of foodborne contaminants.

Chondromyxoid fibroma of the lumbar facet joint: A case report.

Chondromyxoid fibroma (CMF) is a rarely documented benign osseous neoplasm, particularly with respect to its incidence in the lumbar spinal region. CMF predominantly manifests in vertebral bodies, exhibiting atypical emergence in ancillary anatomical sites. The present report describes, to the best of our knowledge, the second documented instance of CMF originating from the lumbar facet joint. The present case provides an example of CMF in the lumbar facet joint precipitating spinal canal stenosis, thereby engendering neurological manifestations in the lower extremities due to neoplastic proliferation through the intervertebral foramen. The present therapeutic intervention entailed surgical excision of the neoplasm concomitant with facet joint arthrodesis, with the objective of achieving comprehensive neoplasm eradication, ameliorating the symptomatology and safeguarding the spinal structural integrity of the patient. The present study aimed to illustrate the clinical implications of this rare neoplasm, thereby elucidating the diagnostic quandaries and therapeutic complexities associated with CMF in the lumbar facet joint. In addition, the present study aimed to augment the existing knowledge for the diagnosis and clinical management of CMF.

The promising stability of carboxylpyranocyanidin-3-O-glucoside during food processing and simulated digestion and its bioavailability research.

BACKGROUND: Pyranoanthocyanins are stable anthocyanin derivatives. Carboxylpyranoanthocyanin is one of the simplest pyranoanthocyanin, among which the production of carboxylpyranocyanidin-3-O-glucoside (crboxyl-pycy-3-gluc) is most feasible as a result of the abundance of its reactant, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (Cy-3-gluc). RESULTS: In the present study, carboxyl-pycy-3-gluc was synthesized and its stability during processing and after ingestion as well as its bioavailability in vivo were comprehensively evaluated. Our results indicated that the color of carboxyl-pycy-3-gluc remained more stable compared to Cy-3-gluc when facing the large-span pH variation. The high retention of anthocyanin symbolized the superb stability under thermal processing, sulfur dioxide bleaching and ultrasonic treatment of carboxyl-pycy-3-gluc. Because of the stability under the alkaline condition, carboxyl-pycy-3-gluc is more stable after oral-gastrointestinal digestion. After in vitro gut microbiota fermentation, the retention of carboxyl-pycy-3-gluc was significantly higher than that of Cy-3-gluc. The larger molecular size made absorption of carboxyl-pycy-3-gluc into blood more difficult than its precursor. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated the promising stability of carboxyl-pycy-3-gluc during food processing and after digestion, confirming the potential of carboxyl-pycy-3-gluc as a colorant. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside and its derivative vitisin A alleviate androgenetic alopecia by exerting anti-androgen effect and inhibiting dermal papilla cell apoptosis.

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA), one of the most common forms of hair loss, lacks satisfactory treatment methods in modern society. This study employed an experimental design combining in vitro and in vivo approaches to explore the effects of Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) and Carboxypyranocyanidin-3-O-glucoside (Vitisin A) on AGA. In human dermal papilla cells (HDPCs), both anthocyanins demonstrated inhibitory effects on androgen receptors, significantly reduced dihydrotestosterone (DHT) induced apoptosis of HDPCs, and regulated the secretion of Fibroblast growth factor 7 and Transforming growth factor beta 1. In vitro transdermal experiment revealed that both C3G and Vitisin A could penetrate mice skin, aided by the application of cream. Furthermore, in vivo experiments with mice indicated that application of C3G or Vitisin A cream effectively improved hair follicles miniaturization, regression, and apoptosis caused by DHT. The repression of Wnt10b and ß-catenin expression induced by DHT was prevented by C3G and Vitisin A in both cell and mouse model. Consequently, these findings suggest that C3G and Vitisin A could be considered as alternative methods for alleviating AGA.

Advancements in the promotion of pyranoanthocyanins formation in wine: A review of current research.

Pyranoanthocyanin (PACN) is a class of anthocyanin (ACN)-derived pigments found in aged red wines, which has certain advantages over the prototype ACN in terms of stability, and biological activity. However, the efficiency and yield of PACNs in the natural fermentation system are low. This article summarizes five frequently employed physical processing techniques that can accelerate the formation of PACN. From a mechanistic standpoint, these techniques can produce large amounts of active substances, further promoting the extracellular release of phenolics and the formation of some cofactors and PACNs' pyran rings. Precursor substances and environmental factors affecting PACN yields are also pointed out. It mainly included the parent ring substitution in ACNs, the type and quantity of glycosides, the electron donating ability and concentration of cofactors, etc. Thus, this article aims to provide an overview of the advancements in processing techniques, thereby facilitating their wider utilization in the food and beverage industry.

Anthocyanins degradation mediated by ß-glycosidase contributes to the color loss during alcoholic fermentation in a structure-dependent manner.

Anthocyanins deteriorate during fermentation to varying degrees depending on the structure of the anthocyanin, thus affecting the sensory quality of the wine, and the degradation of anthocyanins is closely associated with the ß-glycosidase. In this study, the alcoholic fermentation systems containing cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G), peonidin-3-O-glucoside (Pn3G), delphinidin-3-O-glucoside (D3G), petunidin-3-O-glucoside (Pt3G), and malvidin-3-O-glucoside (M3G) incubated for eight days. Our results indicated that the color of the systems containing different anthocyanins saw significant and dissimilar changes during fermentation, in relation to anthocyanin degradation. The five anthocyanins showed varying degradation degrees, which are relevant to theß-glycosidase produced by yeast. Enzyme kinetics and molecular docking analysis showed the affinity between anthocyanins and ß-glucosidase: C3G < M3G < Pn3G < Pt3G < D3G. This study demonstrated that ß-glycosidase had distinct effects on anthocyanins with diverse structures, resulting in different color changes in fermentation systems. It provided a potential strategy for sensory quality improvement during the fermentation of fruit wines rich in anthocyanins.

A Multi-Angle Appearance-Based Approach for Vehicle Type and Brand Recognition Utilizing Faster Regional Convolution Neural Networks.

Vehicle type and brand information constitute a crucial element in intelligent transportation systems (ITSs). While numerous appearance-based classification methods have studied frontal view images of vehicles, the challenge of multi-pose and multi-angle vehicle distribution has largely been overlooked. This paper proposes an appearance-based classification approach for multi-angle vehicle information recognition, addressing the aforementioned issues. By utilizing faster regional convolution neural networks, this method automatically captures crucial features for vehicle type and brand identification, departing from traditional handcrafted feature extraction techniques. To extract rich and discriminative vehicle information, ZFNet and VGG16 are employed. Vehicle feature maps are then imported into the region proposal network and classification location refinement network, with the former generating candidate regions potentially containing vehicle targets on the feature map. Subsequently, the latter network refines vehicle locations and classifies vehicle types. Additionally, a comprehensive vehicle dataset, Car5_48, is constructed to evaluate the performance of the proposed method, encompassing multi-angle images across five vehicle types and 48 vehicle brands. The experimental results on this public dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in accurately classifying vehicle types and brands.

Inhibition of miR-96-5p alleviates intervertebral disc degeneration by regulating the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ/nuclear factor-kappaB pathway.

BACKGROUND: Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is the main pathogenesis of low back pain. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been found to exert regulatory function in IDD. This study aimed to investigate the effect and potential mechanism of miR-96-5p in IDD. METHODS: In vitro cell model of IDD was established by treating human nucleus pulposus cells (HNPCs) with interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß). The level of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) was examined in the IDD cell model by Western blot and quantification real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The expression level of miR-96-5p was detected by RT-qPCR. Effects of PPARγ or/and PPARγ agonist on inflammatory factors, extracellular matrix (ECM), apoptosis, and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) nuclear translocation were examined through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blot, flow cytometry assay, and immunofluorescence staining. The Starbase database and dual luciferase reporter assay were used to predict and validate the targeting relationship between miR-96-5p and PPARγ, and rescue assay was performed to gain insight into the role of miR-96-5p on IDD through PPARγ/NF-κB signaling. RESULTS: PPARγ expression reduced with concentration and time under IL-1ß stimulation, while miR-96-5p expression showed the reverse trend (P < 0.05). Upregulation or/and activation of PPARγ inhibited IL-1ß-induced the increase in inflammatory factor levels, apoptosis, degradation of the ECM, and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB (P < 0.05). MiR-96-5p was highly expressed but PPARγ was lowly expressed in IDD, while knockdown of PPARγ partially reversed remission of IDD induced by miR-96-5p downregulation (P < 0.05). MiR-96-5p promoted NF-κB entry into the nucleus but PPARγ inhibited this process. CONCLUSION: Inhibition of miR-96-5p suppressed IDD progression by regulating the PPARγ/NF-κB pathway. MiR-96-5p may be a promising target for IDD treatment clinically.

Interaction between a Commercial Mannoprotein and Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside-4-vinylphenol and Its Stability and Antioxidative Properties as a Novel Functional Pigment.

Hydroxyphenyl-pyranoanthocyanins, which are derived from anthocyanins and phenolic acids during the fermentation and aging of red wine, are prone to polymerization and precipitation, which largely limits their application and bioactivity research. In the present study, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside-4-vinylphenol (C3GVP), a hydroxyphenyl-pyranoanthocaynin, was prepared from C3G and p-coumaric acid, and mannoprotein (MP) was employed to improve its stability in various complex solvents by forming a stable anthocyanin-MP complex. We used scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and circular dichroism spectroscopy to observe structural changes in C3GVP and MP. The results demonstrated that the intermolecular polymerization of C3GVP was mitigated and the secondary conformation of MP was changed slightly. Fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular docking indicated that C3GVP and MP interacted via hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. Importantly, the C3GVP-MP complex exhibited better thermal stability and antioxidant capacity than C3G.

Vitisin A, as a Type of Pyranoanthocyanin, Suppresses Inflammation by Restricting Hematopoietic Stem Cell Differentiation toward Monocytes in Bone Marrow.

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) could be differentiated into mature myeloid and lymphoid cells, maintaining the requirements of immune cells. Atherosclerosis and ulcerative colitis (UC) drive HSPC homeostasis destruction, which triggers expansive HSPC proliferation and Ly6Chi monocyte production, contributing to aggravated inflammation. Vitisin A belongs to the anthocyanin derivatives with excellent stability and bioactivity in vitro. However, there is no report about the anti-inflammation of Vitisin A via reprogramming HSPC differentiation toward monocytes. In this study, we found that Vitisin A presents anti-inflammatory ability during the development of atherosclerosis and UC by depressing Ly6Chi monocyte production from bone marrow. This performance depended on restricted HSPC differentiation, which suggested that Vitisin A participated in monocyte generation and carried out the immunomodulation. Together, Vitisin A ameliorates inflammation during atherosclerosis and UC via the suppressed differentiation of HSPCs toward monocytes, which could be considered an ideal functional component with immunomodulatory effects.

The expression of CD86 in CD3+CD56+ NKT cells is associated with the occurrence and prognosis of sepsis-associated encephalopathy in sepsis patients: a prospective observational cohort study.

The role of CD3+CD56+ natural killer T (NKT) cells and its co-signaling molecules in patients with sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is unknown. In this prospective observational cohort study, we initially recruited 260 septic patients and eventually analyzed 90 patients, of whom 57 were in the SAE group and 37 were in the non-SAE group. Compared to the non-SAE group, 28-day mortality was significantly increased in the SAE group (33.3% vs. 12.1%, p = 0.026), while the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of CD86 in CD3+CD56+ NKT cells was significantly lower (2065.8 (1625.5 ~ 3198.8) vs. 3117.8 (2278.1 ~ 5349), p = 0.007). Multivariate analysis showed that MFI of CD86 in NKT cells, APACHE II score, and serum albumin were independent risk factors for SAE. Furthermore, the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that the mortality rate was significantly higher in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group (χ2 = 14.779, p < 0.001). This study showed that the decreased expression of CD86 in CD3+CD56+ NKT cells is an independent risk factor of SAE; thus, a prediction model including MFI of CD86 in NKT cells, APACHE II score, and serum albumin can be constructed for diagnosing SAE and predicting prognosis.