R-Napropamide Potentially Regulates Cadmium Accumulation in Arabidopsis Shoots through Transport Channel Modulation.

Heavy metal contamination in soils poses a significant environmental threat to human health. This study examines the effects of the chiral herbicide napropamide (NAP) on Arabidopsis thaliana, focusing on growth metrics and cadmium (Cd) accumulation. R-NAP does not adversely affect plant growth compared to the control, whereas S-NAP significantly reduces root length and fresh weight. Notably, R-NAP markedly increases Cd accumulation in the shoots, exceeding levels observed in the control and S-NAP. This increase coincides with reduced photosynthetic efficiency. Noninvasive electrode techniques reveal a higher net Cd absorption flux in the root mature zone under R-NAP than S-NAP, although similar to the control. Transcriptomic analysis highlights significant stereoisomer differences in Cd transporters, predominantly under R-NAP treatment. SEM and molecular docking simulations support that R-NAP primarily upregulates transporters such as HMA4. The results suggest careful management of herbicides like R-NAP in contaminated fields to avoid excessive heavy metal buildup in crops.

Clinical Influence of Nursing Intervention Under FOCUS-Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle Management Model on Preventing and Controlling Central Line-associated Bloodstream Infections in Patients in ICU.

Background: Central venous catheterization is an invasive procedure that may lead to central line-associated bloodstream infection, affecting the patient's prognosis and recovery. Thus, it is essential to master the right interventions for the prevention and control of central line-associated bloodstream infections. FOCUS-Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle management model, also known as Deming circle management model, is a programmed and scientific management method. Objective: We attempted to clarify the impact of nursing intervention on preventing and controlling central line-associated bloodstream infection under the FOCUS- PDCA cycle management model, in order to effectively deplete central line-associated bloodstream infection in each intensive care unit, facilitate early recovery of patients. Design: Our study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of intensive care unit patients before and after implementation of nursing intervention under the FOCUS-PDCA cycle management model. This study was a retrospective study. Setting: This study was performed in the Department of Infection Management, Taihe County People's Hospital. Participants: A total of 214 intensive care unit patients with indwelling central venous catheters before implementation of nursing intervention under the FOCUS-PDCA cycle management model in our hospital in 2021 were selected as the control group. A total of 220 ICU patients with indwelling CVC after nursing intervention under the FOCUS-PDCA cycle management model in 2022 were included in the experimental group. All patients met the inclusion criteria of patients with CVC puncture catheterization for ≥ 2 days. Interventions: The control group underwent conventional nursing, including (1) nurses observing aseptic technique; (2) nurses regularly inspected and replaced dressings; (3) nurses timely handled abnormal situations at the puncture site; (4) nurses provided relevant education and psychological counseling to patients and their families. The experimental group adopted nursing intervention under the FOCUS-PDCA cycle management model on the basis of that of the control group. Primary Outcome Measures: (1) central venous catheterization puncture status (2) central venous catheterization application status (3) central line-associated bloodstream infection status, and (4) hospitalization status. Results: The one-time success rate of puncture and success rate of puncture in the experimental group exhibited elevation relative to those in the control group (P < .05). The central venous catheterization application rate in the experimental group exhibited depletion relative to that in the control group (P < .05). The daily infection rate of CLABSI in the experimental group exhibited depletion relative to that in the control group, but without statistical significance (P > .05), indicating that nursing intervention under the FOCUS-PDCA cycle management model had no obvious inhibitory effect on the daily infection rate of CLABSI. The time of central line-associated bloodstream infection occurrence in the experimental group was later than that in the control group (P < .05). The hospitalization time and hospitalization expenses in the experimental group exhibited depletion relative to those in the control group (P < .05). Conclusion: Nursing intervention under the FOCUS-PDCA cycle management model can effectively deplete central line-associated bloodstream infection in each intensive care unit, facilitate early recovery of patients, and shorten hospital stay, which is worthy of promotion. Our study provide a clinical nursing reference for the preventing and controlling central line-associated bloodstream infections in patients in each intensive care unit.

Effect of shenling baizhu powder on the serum TH1 cytokines of elderly patients with ulcerative colitis complicated by bloody purulent stool.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of Shenling Baizhu powder as an adjuvant therapy on the serum TH1 of elderly patients with ulcerative colitis complicated by bloody purulent stool. METHODS: A total of 70 elderly patients with ulcerative colitis complicated by bloody purulent stool presenting to our hospital from June 2018 to October 2019 were enrolled and equally randomized. Patients were administered mesalazine enteric-coated tablets in the control group, and patients were additionally treated with Shenling Baizhu powder. The main clinical symptom scores, the relief of bloody purulent stool symptoms, and the serum TH1 levels before and after treatment as well as the clinical efficacy were compared in the two groups, and the ROC curve was plotted to analyze the value of serum TH1 cytokine in predicting disease recurrence. RESULTS: After treatment, the scores in the two groups were decreased significantly, and the decrease in the study group was significant (P < 0.05). The total effective rate in the study group (88.57%) was significantly higher than that of the control group (68.57%), and the response rate after treatment in the study group (85.71%) was significantly higher than that of the control group (62.86%). In the two groups, serum IL-2 and IFN-γ levels were decreased significantly before and after treatment, but the decrease in the study group was significant (P < 0.05). ROC analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of IL-2 was 0.797, the maximum Jordan index was 0.573, the sensitivity was 61.10%, and the specificity was 96.20%. The AUC of IFN-γ was 0.794, the maximum Jordan index was 0.453, the sensitivity was 55.60%, and the specificity was 72.50%. CONCLUSION: Shenling Baizhu powder as an adjuvant therapy is a promising option for elderly patients with ulcerative colitis complicated by bloody purulent stool.

Prolonged QTc interval predicts long-term mortality in cirrhosis: a propensity score matching analysis.

BACKGROUND: Prolonged corrected QT (QTc) interval is a hallmark of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM) and has been ascertained to predict mortality in cirrhosis. However, some critical issues remain to be addressed including unanimous cut-off, calculation approach and applicable population. METHODS: A total of 274 patients with cirrhosis were included. The prolonged QTc interval over 440 ms according to adjusted Fridericia's formula was used to stratify enrolled subjects. Independent predictors of 3-year mortality were identified with Cox regression model. The Kaplan-Meier method was implemented to obtain survival curves. To reduce impact of selection bias and possible confounders, a propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was used. RESULTS: QTc > 440 ms was an independent risk factor in the entire cohort and PSM subset (HR 2.532, 95% CI 1.431-4.480, p=.001; HR 2.802, 95% CI 1.171-6.701, p=.021, respectively). Subgroup analysis showed that QTc > 440 ms was an independent predictor in cirrhotics with age ≤60 years (HR = 1.02, p=.035) and in the presence of ascites (HR = 1.01, p=.008). CONCLUSIONS: The prolonged QTc interval might help to identify patients with high-risk of all-cause mortality.

Aggravated mucosal and immune damage in a mouse model of ulcerative colitis with stress.

The aim of the present study was to determine the influence of stress on the colonic mucosa and immune system and to further investigate the association between stress and development and pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC). Mice were treated with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid to induce an animal model of UC, and stress was induced by water immersion and restraint. Subsequently, the disease activity index (DAI), secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), IgA, interleukin (IL)-6 and -8, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), complement component (C)3 and C4, and alterations in the colonic mucosa were observed. The DAI scores and the expression levels of IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α significantly increased in the experimental UC mice compared with the control mice, while the expression levels of IgA and sIgA decreased (all P<0.01). DAI and colonic mucosa damage scores increased in the stress-treated mouse models of UC compared with the untreated mouse models of UC (P<0.05). Expression levels of IgA and sIgA decreased, while IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α further increased in the stress-treated UC mice (P<0.05). The expression levels of C3 and C4 were not affected by stress or UC (P>0.05). These results indicated that UC may be associated with an immune disorder and that stress can aggravate colonic mucosa injury and alter the immune response. Furthermore, stress and immunity may serve roles in the pathogenesis of UC.

Elevated level of Vav1 was correlated with advanced biological behavior and poor prognosis in patients with gastric cancer.

Vav1 play key roles in the progression of human cancer. However, the role of Vav1 in gastric cancer (GC) remains to be elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the potential relevance of the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic significance of Vav1 in GC patients. METHODS: The protein expression of Vav1 was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in formalin-fixed samples obtained from 105 GC patients. RESULTS: Positive Vav1 expression was correlated with larger tumor size and more lymph node metastasis (P<0.05) in GC tissues. Serosal invasion (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.764, P = 0.007), lymph node metastasis (HR = 1.298, P = 0.002) and Vav1 expression (HR = 0.436, P = 0.006) were identified as independent factors of the overall survival (OS) of GC patients. For advanced GC patients, lymph node metastasis (HR = 1.310, P = 0.003) and Vav1 expression (HR = 0.443, P = 0.010) were the independent prognostic factors of OS. CONCLUSION: Vav1 performs important functions in the aggressiveness of GC, and Vav1 may serve as a novel prognostic factor in GC.

Specific expression of proton-coupled oligopeptide transporter 1 in primary hepatocarcinoma-a novel strategy for tumor-targeted therapy.

Proton-coupled oligopeptide transporter 1 (PEPT1) is a membrane protein which expressed predominantly in intestine and recognized as the target of dietary nutrients (di/tripeptide) or peptidomimetic drug for delivery. The information on the existence of PEPT1 in carcinomas were limited. Our study aimed to investigate the expression profile and transport activity of PEPT1 both in human hepatocarcinoma tissues and cell lines. Western blotting and an immunofluorescence assay revealed the high level of PEPT1 protein expression in hepatocarcinoma Bel-7402, SMMC-7721, HepG2, HEP3B, SK-HEP-1 cell lines. Quantitative real time PCR showed the mRNA expression of PEPT1 in Bel-7402, SMMC-7721, HepG2, HEP3B, SK-HEP-1 cells. High level PEPT1 expression in hepatocarcinoma patient samples were observed by Immunohistology and showed a significant correlation between protein level and pathological grade. Functional activities were also studied using D-Ala-Lys-AMCA (a substrate of peptide transporter) in above five hepatocarcinoma cell lines. The uptake tests performed by fluorescent microscopy suggested that PEPT1 can transport both D-Ala-Lys-AMCA into the hepatocarcinoma cells and the uptake can be competitively inhibited by three PEPT1 substrates (Gly-sar, Gly-gln and Glyglygly). In conclusion, our findings provided the novel information on the expression and function of PEPT1 in human hepatocarcinoma and expanded the potential values for tumor specific drug delivery.

Targeting PEPT1: a novel strategy to improve the antitumor efficacy of doxorubicin in human hepatocellular carcinoma therapy.

Proton coupled oligopeptide transporter 1 (PEPT1) is a member of the peptide transporter superfamily and plays important role in the absorption of oligopeptide and peptidomimetic drugs. Our previous research verified that PEPT1 expressed specifically in human Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissue and cell lines and showed potential transport activity to be a new candidate of the tumor therapeutic target. In this study, we aim to explore the feasibility of a novel tumor target therapeutic strategy: Targeting PEPT1 to improve the antitumor efficacy of Doxorubicin in human HCC therapy. First, Doxorubicin was conjugated with Glycylglycylglycine (Gly-Gly-Gly) - a tripeptide which was known as the substrate of PEPT1 and characterized by HPLC and MS successfully. Doxorubicin-tripeptide conjugate was then observed to clarify the target delivery by PEPT1 and the antitumor effect on human hepatocarcinoma in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, the improvement of the toxic and side effect of Doxorubicin after conjugation was also evaluated by some biochemical tests. Our results reveal that targeting PEPT1 may contribute to the efficient delivery of Doxorubicin to hepatocarcinoma cells and the reduction of drug toxicity. PEPT1 has the prospect to be a novel target of HCC therapy.

RABEX-5 overexpression in gastric cancer is correlated with elevated MMP-9 level.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate mRNA and protein expression levels of RABEX-5 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), their mutual correlation, and biological behavior in gastric cancer (GC) patients. METHODS: The expression levels of RABEX-5 and MMP-9 were determined by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting in cell lines, GC tissues, and adjacent normal tissues. In addition, RABEX-5 and MMP-9 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in formalin-fixed tissues from 113 GC patients. RESULTS: The mRNA and protein expression levels of RABEX-5 and MMP-9 in GC cell lines and GC tissues were higher than those in normal gastric mucosa cell line and adjacent normal tissues. RABEX-5 expression and MMP-9 expression in GC tissues were significantly and positively correlated. In addition, the size of tumor (p<0.001), Lauren's classification (p=0.009), and N stage (p<0.001) were identified as the relative factors of RABEX-5 expression, whereas the expression of MMP-9 was correlated with N stage (p=0.003). The results of the multivariate analysis revealed that the independent predictive factors of overall survival were T stage (hazard ratio (HR)=2.382; p=0.028), N stage (HR=1.755; p<0.001), RABEX-5 expression (HR=0.452; p=0.004), and MMP-9 expression (HR=0.561; p=0.032). CONCLUSIONS: RABEX-5 and MMP-9 expression levels were elevated in GC tissues and were associated with tumor invasion, metastasis, and prognosis. Therefore, they may be promising prognostic indicators of survival in GC patients.

[Effect of pungent dispersion bitter purgation method on the esophageal mucosal intercellular space of reflux esophagitis model rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of pungent dispersion bitter purgation method (PDBPM) on the esophageal mucosal intercellular space of reflux esophagitis (RE) model rats. METHODS: Totally 100 Wistar rats were randomly divided into the control group, the model group, the Western medicine group (WM), the Chinese medicine group (CM), 25 rats in each group. Rats in the control group only received switch operation. Rats in the rest three groups received modified partial cardia muscle incision combined pylorus ligation of external parts to prepare the RE rat model. Starting from the 3rd day after operation, WM mixture (Motilium 3. 2 mg/kg + Omeprazole Capsule 4.3 mg/kg + Hydrotalcite Tablet 161.4 mg/kg) was administered by gastrogavage to rats in the WM group. Rats in the CM group was administered by gastrogavage with Modified Banxia Xiexin Decoction (5.7 g/kg), 2.5 mL each time, twice daily for 14 consecutive days. Equal volume of normal saline was administered by gastrogavage to rats in the control group and the model group. On day 7 and 14, the lower esophagus pH value, general specimen of mucosa and histopathologic changes were observed. Intercellular spaces of esophageal epithelium were measured for a control study. RESULTS: Compared with the same group at day 7, the lower esophagus pH value increased at day 14 (P < 0.01); the naked eye integral of esophageal mucosa and intercellular spaces of esophageal epithelium also decreased at day 14 in the CM group and the WM group (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group at the same time point, the lower esophagus pH value decreased in the model group (P < 0.01). The naked eye integral of esophageal mucosa, and intercellular spaces of esophageal epithelium increased in the model group with increased intercellular spaces (P < 0.01). Compared with the model group at the same time point, the lower esophagus pH value increased and the naked eye integral of esophageal mucosa decreased in the CM group and the WM group at day 7 and 14 (P < 0.01). Intercellular spaces of esophageal epithelium of RE model rats at day 14 was lower in the CM group and the WM group than in the model group (P < 0.01). Compared with the WM group, the lower esophagus pH value decreased at day 7 in the CM group (P < 0.05); the naked eye integral of esophageal mucosa and intercellular spaces of esophageal epithelium decreased at day 14 in the CM group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PDBPM had favorable treatment effect on RE model rats. The therapeutic effect was more obvious along with the therapeutic course went by. Its mechanism might be achieved through good repair effect on damaged mucosa, increasing the pressure of esophageal sphincter, and inhibiting gastric acid.