Preparation and characterisation of kaempferol composite carrier solid dispersion: evaluation of its application in preventing soybean oil spoilage.

Kaempferol (KPF) can be used as a natural antioxidant and food additive in food processing. However, the poor solubility of KPF limited its bioavailability and application. In order to improve the solubility of KPF, kaempferol composite carrier solid dispersion (KPF-CC-SD) was prepared and the process was optimised. When the ratio of KPF: CA (citric acid): Soluplus reached 1:4:6, the dissolution rate was the highest, and the sample was stable over 12 weeks. The characterisation results indicated that KPF-CC-SD exists in an amorphous form. Peroxidation value and acid value of soybean oil showed that the preservation effect of KPF-CC-SD was better than that of KPF, and the inhibition effect of KPF-CC-SD on acid value was better than that of butylated hydroxytoluene. In conclusion, KPF-CC-SD can change the solubility, crystal form and spatial stability of KPF through the carrier, which has a great application prospect in the field of food preservation.

Melittin alleviates sepsis-induced acute kidney injury by promoting GPX4 expression to inhibit ferroptosis.

OBJECTIVES: Melittin, the main component of bee venom, is a natural anti-inflammatory substance, in addition to its ability to fight cancer, antiviral, and useful in diabetes treatment. This study seeks to determine whether melittin can protect renal tissue from sepsis-induced damage by preventing ferroptosis and explore the protective mechanism. METHODS: In this study, we investigated the specific protective mechanism of melittin against sepsis-induced renal injury by screening renal injury indicators and ferroptosis -related molecules and markers in animal and cellular models of sepsis. RESULTS: Our results showed that treatment with melittin attenuated the pathological changes in mice with lipopolysaccharide-induced acute kidney injury. Additionally, we found that melittin attenuated ferroptosis in kidney tissue by enhancing GPX4 expression, which ultimately led to the reduction of kidney tissue injury. Furthermore, we observed that melittin enhanced NRF2 nuclear translocation, which consequently upregulated GPX4 expression. our findings suggest that melittin may be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of sepsis-associated acute kidney injury by inhibiting ferroptosis through the GPX4/NRF2 pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals the protective mechanism of melittin in septic kidney injury and provides a new therapeutic direction for Sepsis-AKI.

Analysis of spatiotemporal variations and influencing factors of soil erosion in the Jiangnan Hills red soil zone, China.

Soil erosion is an important environmental problem in China. The hilly region of Jiangnan is characterized by severe soil erosion due to its unique climate and intensive human activities. Therefore, assessing soil erosion in this area is of great significance for achieving regional sustainable development. Based on the spatial zoning of natural resources and the spatial differences in precipitation, land cover, topographic features, and soil texture, we estimated soil erosion from 2000 to 2020 using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model. The study showed that micro-erosion dominates spatially in the subtropical forest subzone of the eastern hills, accounting for more than 60% of the total erosion area. Intense erosion was found in woodlands and grasslands and the erosion intensity tended to be lower in the plains. Erosion occurred mainly in areas with slopes >8°. The areas with significantly lower erosion were mainly distributed at the boundaries between forests, arable land, and artificial land surfaces. The areas where soil erosion significantly increased over the study period were mainly found in farmland areas (31.70%). Soil erosion occurred because of a combination of factors, among which vegetation cover played a prominent role. Elevation and slope were correlated with soil erosion intensity. Severe erosion in different parts of the study area showed two trends of spatial aggregation and discrete distribution. This analysis of soil erosion in the study area by the RUSLE model provides reference data for the eastern subtropical forest subregion including the Jiangnan Hills.

PEO/cellulose composite paper based triboelectric nanogenerator and its application in human-health detection.

Recently, cellulose paper based triboelectric nanogenerators (CPTENGs) has gained widely attention due to the development of wearable, green and miniaturized electronic products. Modification of cellulose fibers or paper is a feasible method to improve the output performance of CPTENGs, however, the simple and effective routes to improve the triboelectric property of cellulose paper still remain a challenge. Herein, we report a simple method to prepare PEO/cellulose composite paper (PEO/CCP) via mixing polyethylene oxide (PEO) with cationic cellulose fibers. Benefiting from amino groups and PEO, the composite paper exhibits higher triboelectric positive property and triboelectric charge density, thereby endowing PEO/CCP based TENG with outstanding output performance. The voltage, current and power density peak values of PEO/CCP based TENG exhibited linear relationship with amino groups content; in this instance, the performance of the TENGs can be readily adjusted by the amino groups. The voltage, current and power density of PEO/CCP based TENG can be up to 222.1 V, 4.3 µA, and 217.3 mW•m-2, respectively. Moreover, a human-health detection device based on this TENG can monitor the physiological signals such as eye muscles, respiration, heart beat and wrist pulse, promising potentials for applications in human health-care.

Bifidobacterium breve predicts the efficacy of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy in Chinese NSCLC patients.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Gut microbes play an important role in the occurrence of lung cancer, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy. In this study, we analyzed the characteristics of gut microbes in patients with lung cancer and investigated the effect of gut microbes on anti-PD-1 therapy combined with chemotherapy. METHODS: Fecal samples from 21 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and 22 healthy volunteers who were treated in the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from 2019 to 2021 were collected. DNA was extracted from all samples, and the V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was PCR-amplified using the Illumina sequencing platform, and R language was used for data analysis. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the Beta diversity and metabolic pathways of gut microbes between NSCLC patients and healthy individuals (p < 0.05). Bifidobacterium, Escherichia, and Sarterella were significantly enriched in patients with clinical benefit response (p < 0.05), and these three bacteria had certain predictive value for clinical benefit. Patients with Bifidobacterium breve had significantly longer median progression-free survival (mPFS) compared with patients with no detectable Bifidobacterium breve feces at baseline (106 days vs. NR, p < 0.001). Multivariate COX analysis showed that the presence of B.breve was an independent good prognostic factor affecting the PFS of patients receiving combination therapy (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The clinical efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy combined with chemotherapy in Chinese advanced NSCLC patients is closely related to the gut microbiota, and Bifidobacterium breve may be a potential biomarker to predict the efficacy of immune-combined chemotherapy.

Bioactivity and Component Analysis of Water Extract of Sophora japonica against Hyperuricemia by Inhibiting Xanthine Oxidase Activity.

Hyperuricemia (HUA) is a metabolic condition caused by excessive production or low excretion of uric acid (UA) in the body. Xanthine oxidase (XOD) is the key enzyme in the process of metabolism purines to generate UA. In this study, the in vitro inhibitory effect of water extract of the flower bud of Sophora japonica (WESJ) on XOD was investigated by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. A mice model of HUA was constructed to explore the effect of WESJ on UA levels and the mechanism of action on renal function. Based on Box-Behnken design, the optimal extraction process of WESJ was determined to extract Sophora japonica twice with 8 times of water, 0.5 h each time. Pharmacological results showed that low, medium, and high doses of WESJ (200, 400, 600 mg/kg) could significantly reduce serum UA level, inhibit the activity of XOD in blood and liver, and have a protective effect on kidney damage caused by high UA. Through UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS analysis, 214 compounds were identified in WESJ, including flavonoids, polyphenols, triterpenoids, organic acids, and others. The rat serum of WESJ was analyzed, and 23 prototype components entering the blood were identified, including 15 flavonoids and polyphenols, which may be the main bioactive components. In conclusion, flavonoids and polyphenols in WESJ may reduce the level of UA and alleviate kidney damage by inhibiting the activity of XOD. WESJ is expected to be used as a plant-based food and dietary supplement for the treatment of HUA.

Preparation of an isorhamnetin phospholipid complex for improving solubility and anti-hyperuricemia activity.

To improve the solubility and anti-hyperuricemia activity of the insoluble natural flavonoid isorhamnetin (ISO), an isorhamnetin phospholipid complex (ISO-PC) was prepared. ISO-PC was prepared through solvent evaporation and its prescription process was optimized. The formation of ISO-PC was verified via multiple characterization methods. Parameters such as drug loading, solubility, octanol-water partition coefficient, stability, and in vivo anti-hyperuricemia activity of ISO-PC were investigated. The complexation efficiency of ISO-PC was 95.1% ± 0.56%. The characterization results confirmed that ISO-PC was bound by intermolecular interactions between ISO and phospholipids. Compared with ISO, the solubility of ISO-PC in water and 1-octanol increased by 122 and 16.5 times, respectively. In addition, the octanol-water partition coefficient decreased to 1.08. Pharmacodynamic studies have reported that ISO-PC has a more significant effect on reducing serum uric acid levels and renal protection. In conclusion, the findings of this study suggested that ISO-PC could be used as a promising formulation to improve the solubility and the anti-hyperuricemia activity of ISO.

Extracellular vesicle-packaged miR-181c-5p from epithelial ovarian cancer cells promotes M2 polarization of tumor-associated macrophages via the KAT2B/HOXA10 axis.

OBJECTIVES: The molecular mechanistic actions of tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) in modulating macrophage polarization in the tumor microenvironment of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is largely unknown. The study was performed to clarify the effect and downstream mechanism of microRNA-181c-5p (miR-181c-5p)-containing EVs from EOC cells in the M2 polarization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). METHODS: EVs were isolated from normoxic and hypoxic human EOC cells SKOV3. Human mononuclear cell THP-1 was induced by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate to differentiate into TAMs. The targeting relationship between miR-181c-5p and KAT2B was verified by dual luciferase reporter gene assay. The interaction between KAT2B and HOXA10 was detected by immunofluorescence, Co-IP and ChIP assays. EdU staining, the scratch test and Transwell assay were used to assess the resultant cell proliferation, migration and invasion. The mouse xenograft model and the pulmonary metastasis model were developed through intraperitoneal injection of SKOV3 cells and tail vein injection of THP-1 cells, respectively. RESULTS: Hypoxic SKOV3 cell-derived EVs could be internalized by TAMs. SKOV3 cell-derived EVs induced by hypoxia (H-EVs) promoted M2 polarization of TAMs and facilitated the proliferation, migration and invasion of SKOV3 cells. miR-181c-5p was highly expressed in H-EVs and promoted the M2 polarization of TAMs. Further, miR-181c-5p targeted KAT2B, upregulated HOXA10 and activated the JAK1/STAT3 pathway, thereby promoting the M2 polarization of TAMs. In both mouse models, H-EV-derived miR-181c-5p promoted growth and metastasis of EOC cells. CONCLUSION: The miR-181c-5p-containing EVs from hypoxic EOC cells may upregulate HOXA10 by targeting KAT2B and activate the JAK1/STAT3 pathway to promote the M2 polarization of TAMs, ultimately promoting growth and metastasis of EOC cells in vitro and in vivo.

Opportunities and challenges in microwave absorption of nickel-carbon composites.

In recent years, the problem of electromagnetic wave (EMW) pollution has attracted more and more attention with the development of science and technology. In order to solve this complex problem, the research and development of EMW-absorbing materials is crucial. The new absorbing materials should have the characteristics of light weight, high efficiency, wide bandwidth, environmental protection, oxidation resistance, and other characteristics. Traditional single-phase Ni materials exhibit remarkable ferromagnetic behavior and double-loss mechanisms (dielectric loss and magnetic loss), and are considered as efficient EMW absorbers. However, under the action of EMWs, especially in the GHz frequency band, Ni materials tend to produce an eddy current effect, which limits their application prospects. For Ni-based materials, there is much interest in modifying the composite materials by designing a hierarchical structure for their preparation. Traditional, single-phase, carbon-based materials have been widely used in related fields because of their light weight and good conductivity. However, a single-loss mechanism will affect the impedance matching of carbon materials, thus affecting their application in the field of absorbing waves. For carbon materials, people use them as a filler or matrix material to fabricate composites with metals, metal oxides, or polymer materials to obtain carbon-containing absorbing materials. This paper reviews the evaluation and design principles of the absorbing properties of EMW-absorbing materials. Then, the progress of modified single-phase Ni-based materials (designed materials with 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D structures), the development of carbon materials (carbon black, carbon nanotubes, carbon fiber, graphite oxide, reduced graphene oxide, and biomedical carbon), and the research progress of Ni-C composite materials (the composite material formed by nickel and carbon) are reviewed. The ultimate goal is to obtain absorbers with light weight, strong absorbing ability, and a wide frequency band. In particular, Ni-MXene, Ni-biomedical carbon, and Ni-multiphase carbon composites are the target direction for designing new and high efficiency EMW absorbers. Finally, the basic challenges and opportunities in this field are discussed.

Quantitation of vistusertib by UHPLC-MS/MS in rat plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study.

Aim: The present study aimed to develop a UHPLC-MS/MS method for determination of vistusertib in biological matrix, and to describe the pharmacokinetic behavior of vistusertib in SD rats. Methodology & results: After protein precipitation with acetone and acetonitrile (1:1), the chromatographic separation was achieved on an Agilent Poroshell 120 EC-C18 column and detected with a SCIEX QTRAP 4500 mass spectrometer under positive ionization mode. The developed UHPLC-MS/MS method showed an excellent linearity within the range of 1.0-3000 ng/ml with good accuracy and precision. Vistusertib showed a rapid absorption and reached the maximum concentration of 3532.2 ± 678.0 ng/ml 20-30 min after oral administration in Sprague-Dawley rats. Conclusion: The established analytical method was fast, sensitive and robust, and successfully applied to describe the pharmacokinetic behavior of vistusertib following an oral administration in rats.

Signal extraction using complementary ensemble empirical mode in pipeline magnetic flux leakage nondestructive evaluation.

The magnetic flux leakage (MFL) evaluation is often used for the overhauling of oil extracting operation in the oil field to realize the real-time damage assessment of the pipeline. Since the MFL signal is affected by various noise sources in the field, this paper introduces the complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN). On the basis of this, a particle swarm optimization wavelet threshold (PSO-WT) method is proposed, and the signal reconstruction option is improved to extract the leakage magnetic flux signal of tubing defects. First, CEEMDAN is used to add pairs of positive and negative white noise to the MFL signal, and then the signal is decomposed into several intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Second, the correlation coefficient selection limit is defined. Taking into account the characteristics of the decomposed signal, the useless IMFs and useful IMFs are selected from the IMF components, where some of the useful IMF components contain less noise. Third, the PSO-WT algorithm is combined to further filter the noisy and useful IMF components. Finally, the filtered IMF components and the pure useful IMF components are selected to reconstruct the signal. In the experiment, the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) method and CEEMDAN are used to decompose the noisy MFL signals ensemble in the field. The MFL signal is reconstructed under the correlation coefficient selection. It can be seen from the comparison of EEMD that the MFL signal is reconstructed under the same conditions after CEEMDAN decomposition, and its signal-to-noise ratio is increased by 8%. At the same time, after CEEMDAN decomposition, the selected noisy useful IMFs are further filtered by the wavelet threshold (WT) method and the PSO-WT method. Also, it indicates that the reconstructed signal processed by PSO-WT is 17% higher than the reconstructed signal after WT processing.

Expression of MIF and c-erbB-2 in endometrial cancer.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of c-erbB-2 and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in endometrial cancer and to elucidate the significance of the early diagnosis and prognosis of endometrial cancer. The gene copy number of c­erbB­2 and MIF was characterized by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and the reactivity was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 70 patients using a polyclonal antibody, and evaluated semiquantitatively according to the percentage of cells demonstrating membranous or diffuse cytoplasmic staining. A correlation between age, tumor stage, grade, myometrial invasion and lymph node metastasis was observed. The mRNA expression of c­erbB­2 and MIF was high in endometrial carcinoma. The positive expression rate of MIF protein in normal endometrium, atypical hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma significantly increased along with the degree of aggravation of the disease by 20 (3/15), 45 (9/20) and 70% (35/50), respectively. The positive expression of MIF and c­erbB­2 was highest in endometrial cancer and a significantly higher level of protein was observed in tumors at stage I, stage G1, with a depth of myometrial invasion <0.4 cm and no lymph node metastasis. The protein expression of c­erbB­2 in endometrial cancer was higher in tumors at the G2­3 phase, clinical stage III­IV, lymph node metastasis, and had no association with the depth of myometrial invasion and age. MIF and c­erbB­2 were correlated with the occurrence and the development of endometrial cancer, and thus can be used for the early diagnosis and prognosis of endometrial cancer. The present study laid the foundation for identifying new treatments for endometrial cancer.

Impacts of laparoscopic hysterectomy on functions of coagulation and fibrinolysis system.

The main objective of the study is to compare the impacts of laparoscopic hysterectomy and total abdominal hysterectomy on the functions of coagulation and fibrinolysis system. Seventy-five patients who had undergone hysterectomy were randomly divided into laparoscopic hysterectomy group (n = 38) and total abdominal hysterectomy group (n = 37). The prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT), fibrinogen, D-dimer, von Willebrand factor, α-granule membrane protein-140, thrombin-activated fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) and platelet count were detected at preoperative 24 h (N0), postoperative 24 h (N1) and postoperative 48 h (N2). Compared with N0, values of PT, APTT and TT were significantly decreased at N1 in both groups, whereas von Willebrand factor, platelet count and α-granule membrane protein-140 levels at N1 were significantly increased (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between N0 and N2 (P > 0.05). Compared with N0, fibrinogen, D-dimer and TAFI levels in both groups were significantly higher at N1 (P < 0.05), and there was no significant difference between N0 and N2 (P > 0.05). The intergroup comparison showed no significant difference of above indexes between two groups (P > 0.05). The univariate analysis showed that TAFI was negatively correlated with TT (r = -0.365, P < 0.01), APTT (r = -0.183, P < 0.05) and PT (r = -0.121, P < 0.05), whereas not correlated with other indicators. Laparoscopic hysterectomy may increase the risk of postoperative venous thrombosis.

Associations between antioxidant vitamins and the risk of invasive cervical cancer in Chinese women: A case-control study.

Previous studies on the associations between dietary antioxidant vitamins and the risk of cervical cancer remain inconsistent, and little evidence is available for serum antioxidant vitamins, which provide more accurate measurements of these nutrients. We conducted a case-control study of 458 incident cases with invasive cervical cancer and 742 controls to assess the effects of diet or serum antioxidant vitamins. Higher serum antioxidant vitamins were associated with a lower risk of cervical cancer after adjusting for potential confounders. The odds ratios (ORs) for the highest (vs. lowest) quartile were 0.66 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.46-0.93; P = 0.024) for α-carotene, 0.63 (95% CI = 0.45-0.90; P = 0.006) for ß-carotene, 0.53 (95% CI = 0.37-0.74; P < 0.001) for vitamin E, and 0.48 (95% CI = 0.33-0.69; P < 0.001) for vitamin C. Dietary intakes of vitamins E and C were inversely associated with the risk of cervical cancer. Risk of cervical cancer from serum antioxidant vitamins was more evident in passive smokers than non-passive smokers. These findings indicated that antioxidant vitamins (mainly α-carotene, ß-carotene, and vitamins E and C) might be beneficial in reducing the risk of invasive cervical cancer in Chinese women, especially in passive smokers.

RNAi-mediated knockdown of the CLN3 gene inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis in drug-resistant ovarian cancer cells.

CLN3 is a recently identified anti-apoptotic gene, which has been demonstrated to be highly expressed in a diverse range of cancer cell lines, including ovarian cancer. In the present study, RNA interference, mediated by a lentivirus expressing CLN3 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) was utilized to knockdown the expression of CLN3 in the A2780 human ovarian cancer cell line, and its cisplatin­resistant and carboplatin­resistant sublines, A2780/DDP and A2780/CBP cells. It was revealed that the mRNA and protein expression levels of CLN3 were significantly reduced in the CLN3­specific shRNA­transduced cells, compared with the untransduced and control shRNA­transduced cells. In addition, specific knockdown of CLN3 in these cells inhibited cell proliferation and led to cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase, with eventual apoptosis. CLN3 knockdown caused increases in the levels of Bax, FAX, cleaved­caspase 3, cleaved­caspase 8 and cleaved­RARP, but decreased the level of Bcl­2. Finally, it was observed that CLN3 depletion markedly reduced the half maximum inhibitory concentration in the A2780/DDP and A2780/CBP cells. Taken together, these data suggested that CLN3 is involved in tumorigenesis and drug resistance in ovarian cancer, and may serve as a promising therapeutic target for its treatment.