Perilla frutescens: A new strategy for uranium decorporation.

Radionuclide uranium is a great threat to human health, due to its high chemical toxicity and radioactivity. Finding suitable uranium decorporation to reduce damage caused by uranium internal contamination is an important aspect of nuclear emergency response. However, the poor selectivity and/or high toxicity of the only excretory promoter approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is an obvious disadvantage. Herein, we choose an edible natural product, the traditional Chinese medicine called Perilla frutescens (PF), which has wide sources and can be used as an excellent and effective uranyl decorporation. In vivo uranium decorporation assays illustrate the removal efficiency of uranium in kidney were 68.87% and 43.26%, in femur were 56.66% and 54.53%, by the test of prophylactic and immediate administration, respectively. Cell level experiments confirmed that it had better biocompatibility than CaNa3-DTPA (CaNa3-diethylenetriamine pentaacetate, a commercial actinide excretion agent). In vitro static adsorption experiments exhibited that its excellent selectivity sorption for uranyl. All those results findings would provide new research insights about natural product for uranyl decorporation.

Bismuth Complex Controlled Morphology Evolution and CuSCN-Induced Transport Improvement Enable Efficient BiI3 Solar Cells.

Bismuth triiodide (BiI3) is a particularly promising absorber material for inorganic thin-film solar cells due to its merits of nontoxicity and low cost. However, one key factor that limits the efficiency of BiI3 solar cells is the film morphology, which is strongly correlated with the trap states of the BiI3 film. Herein, we report a coordination engineering strategy by using Lewis base dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to induce the formation of a stable BiI3(DMSO)2 complex for controlling the morphology of BiI3 films. Density functional theory calculations further provide a theoretical framework for understanding the interaction of the BiI3(DMSO)2 complex with BiI3. The obtained BiI3(DMSO)2 complex could assist the fabrication of highly uniform and pinhole-free films with preferred crystallographic orientation. This high-quality film enables reduced trap densities, a suppressed charge recombination, and improved carrier mobility. In addition, the use of copper(I) thiocyanate (CuSCN) as a hole transport layer improves the charge transport, enabling the realization of solar cells with a record power conversion efficiency of 1.80% and a champion fill factor of 51.5%. Our work deepens the insights into controlling the morphology of BiI3 thin films through the coordination engineering strategy and paves the way toward further improving the photovoltaic performances of BiI3 solar cells.

Comparative Study of Preparation, Evaluation, and Pharmacokinetics in Beagle Dogs of Curcumin ß-Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complex, Curcumin Solid Dispersion, and Curcumin Phospholipid Complex.

Curcumin is a natural acidic polyphenol extracted from turmeric with a wide range of biological and pharmacological effects. However, the application of curcumin for animal production and human life is limited by a low oral bioavailability. In this study, natural curcumin was prepared for the curcumin ß-cyclodextrin inclusion complex (CUR-ß-CD), curcumin solid dispersion (CUR-PEG-6000), and curcumin phospholipid complex (CUR-HSPC) using co-precipitation, melting, and solvent methods, respectively. Curcumin complex formations were monitored using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) techniques via the shifts in the microscopic structure, molecular structure, and crystalline state. Subsequently, twenty-four female beagle dogs were randomly divided into four groups to receive unmodified curcumin and three other curcumin preparations. The validated UPLC-MS assay was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic and bioavailability studies of curcumin in beagle dog plasma, which were collected after dosing at 0 min (predose), 5 min, 15 min, 30 min, 40 min, 50 min, 1.5 h, 3 h, 4.5 h, 5.5 h, 6 h, 6.5 h, 9 h, and 24 h. The relative bioavailabilities of CUR-ß-CD, CUR-PEG-6000, and CUR-HSPC were 231.94%, 272.37%, and 196.42%, respectively. This confirmed that CUR-ß-CD, CUR-HSPC, and especially CUR-PEG-6000 could effectively improve the bioavailability of curcumin.

Research Progress on the Mechanism of the Acupuncture Regulating Neuro-Endocrine-Immune Network System.

As one of the conventional treatment methods, acupuncture is an indispensable component of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Currently, acupuncture has been partly accepted throughout the world, but the mechanism of acupuncture is still unclear. Since the theory of the neuro-endocrine-immune network was put forward, new insights have been brought into the understanding of the mechanism of acupuncture. Studies have proven that acupuncture is a mechanical stimulus that can activate local cell functions and neuroreceptors. It also regulates the release of related biomolecules (peptide hormones, lipid hormones, neuromodulators and neurotransmitters, and other small and large biomolecules) in the microenvironment, where they can affect each other and further activate the neuroendocrine-immune network to achieve holistic regulation. Recently, growing efforts have been made in the research on the mechanism of acupuncture. Some researchers have transitioned from studying the mechanism of acupuncture as a single linear pathway to using systems approaches, including metabolomics, genomics, proteomics and biological pathway analysis. This review summarizes the research progress on the neuro-endocrine-immune network related mechanism of acupuncture and discusses its current challenges and future directions.

Acupuncture Combined with Chinese Medicine Iontophoresis Treatment for Chronic Progressive Cervical Intervertebral Disk Disease in a Dog.

CASE REPORT: A 12-year-old castrated male dog with nonambulatory tetraplegia was diagnosed with spinal stenosis at C3-C4 through X-ray examination and with ventral extradural spinal compression at C3-C4 through myelography and computed tomography. The diagnosis of traditional Chinese veterinary medicine was local Qi and blood stagnation, spleen Qideficiency, blood deficiency, and kidney Yang deficiency. We initiated treatment using a combination of acupuncture and Chinese medicine iontophoresis with laser therapy. After 12 treatment days, there was a significant improvement in the dog's ambulation function, which was indicated by proper walking and flexible head-turning. CONCLUSION: This indicates that combining acupuncture and Chinese medicine iontophoresis could be a potential treatment for chronic progressive cervical intervertebral disk disease in dogs.