Effect of traditional Chinese medicine in osteosarcoma: Cross-interference of signaling pathways and potential therapeutic targets.

Osteosarcoma (OS) has a high recurrence rate, disability rate, mortality and metastasis, it brings great economic burden and psychological pressure to patients, and then seriously affects the quality of life of patients. At present, the treatment methods of OS mainly include radiotherapy, chemotherapy, surgical therapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with limb salvage surgery. These treatment methods can relieve the clinical symptoms of patients to a certain extent, and also effectively reduce the disability rate, mortality and recurrence rate of OS patients. However, because metastasis of tumor cells leads to new complications, and OS cells become resistant with prolonged drug intervention, which reduces the sensitivity of OS cells to drugs, these treatments still have some limitations. More and more studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has the characteristics of "multiple targets and multiple pathways," and can play an important role in the development of OS through several key signaling pathways, including PI3K/AKT, Wnt/ß-catenin, tyrosine kinase/transcription factor 3 (JAK/STAT3), Notch, transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß)/Smad, nuclear transcription factor-κB (NF-κB), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), Hippo/YAP, OPG/RANK/RANKL, Hedgehog and so on. In this paper, the signaling pathways of cross-interference between active ingredients of TCM and OS were reviewed, and the development status of novel OS treatment was analyzed. The active ingredients in TCM can provide therapeutic benefits to patients by targeting the activity of signaling pathways. In addition, potential strategies for targeted therapy of OS by using ferroptosis were discussed. We hope to provide a unique insight for the in-depth research and clinical application of TCM in the fields of OS growth, metastasis and chemotherapy resistance by understanding the signaling crosstalk between active ingredients in TCM and OS.

Solvothermal synthesis of bifunctional carbon dots for tartrazine and Fe(III) detection from chamomile residue by ternary DES pretreatment.

A ternary deep eutectic solvent (DES) consisting of choline chloride, lactic acid, and urea in a molar ratio of 1:2:2 was used to pretreat chamomile residue, followed by carbon dots (CDs) preparation using a one-pot solvothermal method. The CDs prepared under the suitable conditions had a high quantum yield of 47.34% and could be used as a bifunctional fluorescent probe for the detection of tartrazine and Fe(III). The concentration of tartrazine or Fe(III) had a good linear relationship with the fluorescence intensity of CDs that the determination coefficient (R2) was 0.9957 and 0.9943, and the limit of detection (LOD) was 40 nM and 119 nM, respectively. After verifying the different fluorescence quenching mechanisms of CDs by these two substances, a quantitative analysis was performed on real samples with recoveries of 90.70%∼104.29%. Overall, this study provided a promising technology for chemical conversion from low-cost chamomile residue to attractive bifunctional fluorescent probe.

Calf thymus ds-DNA intercalation with pendimethalin herbicide at the surface of ZIF-8/Co/rGO/C3N4/ds-DNA/SPCE; A bio-sensing approach for pendimethalin quantification confirmed by molecular docking study.

Pendimethalin (PND) is a herbicide that is regarded to be possibly carcinogenic to humans and toxic to the environment. Herein, we fabricated a highly sensitive DNA biosensor based on ZIF-8/Co/rGO/C3N4 nanohybrid modification of a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) to monitor PND in real samples. The layer-by-layer fabrication pathway was conducted to construct ZIF-8/Co/rGO/C3N4/ds-DNA/SPCE biosensor. The physicochemical characterization techniques confirmed the successful synthesis of ZIF-8/Co/rGO/C3N4 hybrid nanocomposite, as well as the appropriate modification of the SPCE surface. The utilization of ZIF-8/Co/rGO/C3N4 nanohybrid as a modifier was analyzed using. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results showed that the modified SPCE exhibited significantly lowered charge transfer resistance due to the enhancement of its electrical conductivity and facilitation of the transfer of charged particles. The proposed biosensor successfully quantified PND in a wide concentration range of 0.01-35 µM, with a limit of detection (LOD) value of 8.0 nM. The PND monitoring capability of the fabricated biosensor in real samples including rice, wheat, tap, and river water samples was verified with a recovery range of 98.2-105.6%. Moreover, to predict the interaction sites of PND herbicide with DNA, the molecular docking study was performed between the PND molecule and two sequence DNA fragments and confirmed the experimental findings. This research sets the stage for developing highly sensitive DNA biosensors that will be used to monitor and quantify toxic herbicides in real samples by fusing the advantages of nanohybrid structures with crucial knowledge from a molecular docking investigation.

Sensing of Fluidic Features Using Colloidal Microswarms.

Sensing of key parameters in fluidic environments has attracted extensive attention because the physical features of body fluids could be used for point-of-care disease diagnosis. Although various sensing methods have been investigated, effective sensing strategies of microenvironments remains a major challenge. In this paper, we propose an approach that can realize sensing of fluidic viscosity and ionic strength using microswarms formed by simple colloidal nanoparticles. The influences of fluidic ionic strength and viscosity on two swarm behaviors are analyzed (i.e., the spreading of circular vortex-like swarms and the elongation of elliptical swarms). The data models for quantifying the fluidic viscosity and ionic strength are obtained from experiments, and the fluidic features can be sensed successfully using the swarm behaviors. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the microswarms have the capability of passing through tortuous and narrow microchannels for sensing. Continuous sensing of different fluidic environments using swarms is also realized. Finally, the sensing of viscosity and ionic strength of porcine whole blood is presented, which also validates the feasibility of the sensing strategy.

Solubilization of phloretin via steviol glycoside-based solid dispersion and micelles.

In this study, the solubility of phloretin (PT) was enhanced via steviol glycoside (STE)-based micelle (MC) and solid dispersion (SD). Computer simulation, characterization, interaction with serum albumin (SA) and in vitro release were carried out to investigate the solubilization mechanisms and the difference in their solubilization capacities. For PT-loaded MC (STE-PT MC), PT was encapsulated into the hydrophobic core of a spherical micelle with a droplet diameter of 5 nm. For PT-loaded SD (STE-PT SD), PT was completely dispersed with the amorphous state in STE. Most of those PTs were directly dissolved in water, and few were encapsulated by STE micelles. The amorphous state combined with relatively large micelles contributed to the high solubilization capacity of STE-PT SD. In addition, PT of STE-PT SD exhibited a higher dissolution rate and more effective interaction with SA than that of STE-PT MC. No undesirable chemical interaction between PT and STE occurred.

Antibacterial Activity and Mode of Action of Dihydromyricetin from Ampelopsis grossedentata Leaves against Food-Borne Bacteria.

Dihydromyricetin (DMY) has recently attracted increased interest due to its considerable health-promoting activities but there are few reports on its antibacterial activity and mechanism. In this paper, the activity and mechanisms of DMY from Ampelopsis grossedentata leaves against food-borne bacteria are investigated. Moreover, the effects of pH, thermal-processing, and metal ions on the antibacterial activity of DMY are also evaluated. The results show that DMY exhibits ideal antibacterial activity on five types of food-borne bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella paratyphi, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The activities of DMY against bacteria are extremely sensitive to pH, thermal-processing, and metal ions. The morphology of the tested bacteria is changed and damaged more seriously with the exposure time of DMY. Furthermore, the results of the oxidative respiratory metabolism assay and the integrity of the cell membrane and wall tests revealed that the death of bacteria caused by DMY might be due to lysis of the cell wall, leakage of intracellular ingredients, and inhibition of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) pathway.

Management of a Rare Case With Severe Hydrofluoric Acid Burns: Important Roles of Neutralizers and Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy.

Hydrofluoric acid (HF), a dangerous inorganic acid, is widely used in various industries and in daily life. Chemical burns caused by HF exposure occur more frequently in some regions worldwide. It has been reported that some cases with HF burns can be lethal due to the hypertoxicity of HF. In this article, we present a case of a 24-year-old worker who suffered HF burns by 53% HF solution to his face, neck, and nasal cavity. This patient quickly developed electrolyte disturbance, that is, hypocalcemia, and hypopotassemia, and myocardial injury after exposure. Multiple measures had been taken to treat this patient, including fluid resuscitation, electrolyte replacement, timely wound treatment with neutralizers, and respiratory tract care. Moreover, continuous renal replacement therapy was also employed to remove fluoride in the circulatory system and rectify the electrolyte disturbance and acid-base imbalance. The patient smoothly pulled though and survived. High fluoride levels in the dialysate solution were confirmed, indicating that continuous renal replacement therapy is an effective and potentially lifesaving treatment for acute HF poisoning.