Detoxification modification of coal-tar pitch by ultraviolet & microwave radiation-enhanced chemical reaction and toxicity evaluation by chemical index and cytotoxicity assay in vitro.

Although coal tar pitch (CTP) has a large yield in China, its large-scale and effective utilization is significantly hindered because of existing and possibly releasing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Therefore, it is an imminent problem how to prepare an environmentally friendly CTP by detoxification modification. In the investigation, a typical CTP was subjected to structural characterization via solid-state 13C NMR and gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer, which confirmed the existence of dominant PAHs such as fluoranthene, pyrene, as well as benzo[a]pyrene, and few heterocyclic compounds. Subsequently, the CTP was modified using 10-undecenal via alkylation reaction enhanced by ultraviolet & microwave radiation. Compared with the original CTP, the total content of 16 toxic PAHs in the modified CTP decreased with a reduction efficiency of above 90%. According to different environmental standards, toxic equivalent quotient of CTP after modification was reduced by above 90%. In order to veritably and fully evaluate the toxicity of CTP, a living vascular smooth muscle cell (A-10 cell) in vitro was used in the cell counting kit-8 assay. The viability of A-10 cell was always higher when exposed to modified CTP than the original CTP. These results powerfully indicated that the enhanced modification was actually effective and efficient for reducing the toxicity of CTP.

Graphene-Based Nanomaterials: Potential Tools for Neurorepair.

Graphene, with its outstanding electrical properties, large surface area, and excellent mechanical properties, is found in a wide variety of applications in biomimetic substrates and biomedicine, with the result that there is growing interest in the effect of graphene-based nanomaterials on neural cells. This review sums up current research on the effectiveness of graphene and its derivatives on neural cells. We emphasize the biocompatibility of graphene and its derivatives, and how they affect the behavior of neural cells, including adhesion, proliferation, neurite outgrowth and differentiation. In addition, we discuss at great length the literature on graphenebased nanomaterials for drug delivery applications. While their in vivo effects on the nervous system remain to be explored, encouraging findings indicate that graphene-based nanomaterials have significant potential as novel therapies for neurodegenerative disease.

RICTOR expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and its clinical significance.

Esophageal cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world, and its incidence is the eighth highest; meanwhile, its fatality rate is the sixth highest. The PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway plays a required role in human cancer, including cell survival, metabolism and migration. As a kind of important scaffold protein in mTORC2, RICTOR has showed over-expression in several malignancies like melanoma and endometrial cancer. In this research, we selected 201 cases of paraffin specimens from patients diagnosed as esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after surgical treatment and then estimated the RICTOR expression in each esophageal squamous cell carcinoma tissue by using the immunohistochemical streptavidin-peroxidase technique. Then, we analyzed the association among the clinicopathological parameters, the prognosis and the expression of RICTOR. Eventually, we found that the percentage of RICTOR-positive expression in 201 ESCC samples is 70.6% (142/201) and the figure for RICTOR-negative or RICTOR-doubtful-positive expression is 29.4% (59/201). RICTOR expression positively correlated with ESCC patients' AJCC stage (P = 0.011) and showed an opposite trend with survival (P = 0.007). Based on univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, RICTOR-positive expression, AJCC staging III or IV and nodal metastasis are prognostic factors and the former two are independent risk factors for ESCC. In conclusion, our study showed potential that targeting RICTOR may represent new effective inhibitors for treating ESCC.

Safflower Yellow regulates microglial polarization and inhibits inflammatory response in LPS-stimulated Bv2 cells.

Activated microglia, especially polarized M1 cells, produce pro-inflammatory cytokines and free radicals, thereby contributing directly to neuroinflammation and various brain disorders. Given that excessive or chronic neuroinflammation within the central nervous system (CNS) exacerbates neuronal damage, molecules that modulate neuroinflammation are candidates as neuroprotective agents. In this study, we provide evidence that Safflor yellow (SY), the main active component in the traditional Chinese medicine safflower, modulates inflammatory responses by acting directly on BV2 microglia. LPS stimulated BV2 cells to upregulate expression of TLR4-Myd88 and MAPK-NF-κB signaling pathways and to release IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, and COX-2. However, SY treatment inhibited expression of TLR4-Myd88 and p-38/p-JNK-NF-κB, downregulated expression of iNOS, CD16/32, and IL-12, and upregulated CD206 and IL-10. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that SY exerts an anti-inflammatory effect on BV2 microglia, possibly through TLR-4/p-38/p-JNK/NF-κB signaling pathways and the conversion of microglia from inflammatory M1 to an anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype.

The Features of Genetic Prion Diseases Based on Chinese Surveillance Program.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the features of Chinese genetic prion diseases. METHODS: Suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) cases that were reported under CJD surveillance were diagnosed and subtyped using the diagnostic criteria issued by the WHO. The general information concerning the patient, their clinical, MRI and EEG data, and the results of CSF 14-3-3 and PRNP sequencing were carefully collected from the database of the national CJD surveillance program and analyzed using the SPSS 11.5 statistical software program. RESULTS: Since 2006, 69 patients were diagnosed with genetic prion diseases and as having 15 different mutations. The median age of the 69 patients at disease onset was 53.5 years, varying from 19 to 80 years. The majority of patients displaying clinical symptoms were in the 50-59 years of age. FFI, T188K gCJD and E200K were the three most common subtypes. The disease appeared in the family histories of 43.48% of the patients. The clinical manifestations varied considerably among the various diseases. Patients who carried mutations in the N-terminus displayed a younger age of onset, were CSF 14-3-3 negative, had a family history of the condition, and experienced a longer duration of the condition. The clinical courses of T188K were significantly shorter than those of FFI and E200K gCJD, while the symptoms in the FFI group appeared at a younger age and for a longer duration. Moreover, the time intervals between the initial neurologist visit to the final diagnosis were similar among patients with FFI, T188K gCJD, E200K gCJD and other diseases. CONCLUSION: The features of Chinese genetic prion diseases are different from those seen in Europe and other Asian countries.

FSD-C10: A more promising novel ROCK inhibitor than Fasudil for treatment of CNS autoimmunity.

Rho-Rho kinase (Rho-ROCK) triggers an intracellular signalling cascade that regulates cell survival, death, adhesion, migration, neurite outgrowth and retraction and influences the generation and development of several neurological disorders. Although Fasudil, a ROCK inhibitor, effectively suppressed encephalomyelitis (EAE), certain side effects may limit its clinical use. A novel and efficient ROCK inhibitor, FSD-C10, has been explored. In the present study, we present chemical synthesis and structure of FSD-C10, as well as the relationship between compound concentration and ROCK inhibition. We compared the inhibitory efficiency of ROCKI and ROCK II, the cell cytotoxicity, neurite outgrowth and dendritic formation, neurotrophic factors and vasodilation between Fasudil and FSD-C10. The results demonstrated that FSD-C10, like Fasudil, induced neurite outgrowth of neurons and dendritic formation of BV-2 microglia and enhanced the production of neurotrophic factor brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3). However, the cell cytotoxicity and vasodilation of FSD-C10 were relatively small compared with Fasudil. Although Fasudil inhibited both ROCK I and ROCK II, FSD-C10 more selectively suppressed ROCK II, but not ROCK I, which may be related to vasodilation insensitivity and animal mortality. Thus, FSD-C10 may be a safer and more promising novel ROCK inhibitor than Fasudil for the treatment of several neurological disorders.

Seroepidemiological investigation of lyme disease and human granulocytic anaplasmosis among people living in forest areas of eight provinces in China.

OBJECTIVE: Lyme disease and Human granulocytic anaplasmosis are tick-borne diseases caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum respectively. We have investigated infection and co-infection of the two diseases in the population of forest areas of eight provinces in China by measuring seroprevalence of antibodies against B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum. METHODS: Forest areas in 8 provinces were chosen for investigation using whole sampling and questionnaire survey methods. 3 669 serum samples from people in the forest areas were tested for the presence of antibodies by indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA). RESULTS: Seroprevalence against B. burgdorferi was 3% to 15% and against A. phagocytophilum was 2% to 18% in the study sites in the 8 provinces in China. We also found co-infection of B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum in 7 of the 8 provinces (the exception being the Miyun area in Beijing). The seroprevalence for both B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum was significantly higher among people exposed to ticks than among people who were not exposed to ticks. CONCLUSION: We conclude that both pathogens are endemic in the forest areas in the eight provinces, but the prevalence of B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum differs between the provinces.

Novel genospecies of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato from rodents and ticks in southwestern China.

By using multilocus sequence analysis, five Borrelia valaisiana-related strains isolated from rodents and ticks in southwestern China were eventually classified as a new genospecies of B. burgdorferi sensu lato rather than B. valaisiana. The finding explained the differences in transmission cycle and phenotype between B. valaisiana strains from Europe and B. valaisiana-related strains from eastern Asia.