Enhanced fabrication of size-controllable chitosan-genipin nanoparticles using orifice-induced hydrodynamic cavitation: Process optimization and performance evaluation.

Chitosan nanoparticles (NPs) possess great potential in biomedical fields. Orifice-induced hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) has been used for the enhancement of fabrication of size-controllable genipin-crosslinked chitosan (chitosan-genipin) NPs based on the emulsion cross-linking (ECLK). Experiments have been performed using various plate geometries, chitosan molecular weight and under different operational parameters such as inlet pressure (1-3.5 bar), outlet pressure (0-1.5 bar) and cross-linking temperature (40-70 °C). Orifice plate geometry was a crucial factor affecting the properties of NPs, and the optimized geometry of orifice plate was with single hole of 3.0 mm diameter. The size of NPs with polydispersity index of 0.359 was 312.6 nm at an optimized inlet pressure of 3.0 bar, and the maximum production yield reached 84.82 %. Chitosan with too high or too low initial molecular weight (e.g., chitosan oligosaccharide) was not applicable for producing ultra-fine and narrow-distributed NPs. There existed a non-linear monotonically-increasing relationship between cavitation number (Cv) and chitosan NP size. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) test indicated that the prepared NPs were discrete with spherical shape. The study demonstrated the superiority of HC in reducing particle size and size distribution of NPs, and the energy efficiency of orifice type HC-processed ECLK was two orders of magnitude than that of ultrasonic horn or high shear homogenization-processed ECLK. In vitro drug-release studies showed that the fabricated NPs had great potential as a drug delivery system. The observations of this study can offer strong support for HC to enhance the fabrication of size-controllable chitosan-genipin NPs.

Efficient establishment of an optimized culture condition for cashmere goat primary hair follicle stem cells.

Hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) are an important basis for hair follicle morphogenesis and hair cycle growth. This cell type also represents an excellent model for studying the gene function and molecular regulation of the hair growth cycle, including proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Basically, the functional investigation of hair growth-regulating genes demands a sufficient amount of HFSCs. However, efficient propagation of HFSCs in goats is a challenging process under the current culture conditions. Here, we investigated the effect of four components, including the Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor Y-27632, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and vitamin C, on cell growth and pluripotency in the basal culture medium (DMEM/F12 supplemented with 2% fetal bovine serum). We found that adding Y-27632, LIF, and bFGF independently increased the proliferation and pluripotency of goat HFSCs (gHFSCs), with Y-27632 having the most significant effect (P < 0.001). Fluorescence-activated cell sorting of the cell cycle revealed that Y-27632 promoted gHFSC proliferation by inducing the cell cycle from S to G2/M phase (P < 0.05). We further demonstrated that gHFSCs displayed superior proliferative capacity, clone-forming ability, and differentiation potential in the combined presence of Y-27632 (10 µM) and bFGF (10 ng/mL). We termed this novel culture condition as gHFEM, which stands for goat Hair Follicle Enhanced Medium. Taken together, these results indicate that gHFEM is an optimal condition for in vitro culture of gHFSCs, which will subsequently facilitate the study of HF growth and biology.

Hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) are indispensable for skin repair, hair growth, development, and regeneration. One major challenge in primary cell culture is achieving efficient growth while maintaining stemness to achieve a high yield. Various factors, including the Rho-associated protein kinase inhibitor Y-27632, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and vitamin C are known to regulate the growth of cells. Here, we investigated the optimal concentrations of Y-27632, LIF, bFGF, and vitamin C for promoting goat HFSCs (gHFSCs) proliferation and pluripotency. We further found that the combination of Y-27632 and bFGF exhibited optimal growth conditions. These findings offer valuable insights into the factors affecting gHFSC culture and potential applications for studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying periodic HF growth and gene function associated with HF development.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Allergic Rhinitis in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The prevalence of allergic rhinitis (AR) has increased tremendously in the recent year in China. Evidence-based medicine to objectively evaluate the prevalence and risk factors for AR in China is urgently required. Toward this, we systematically searched four English and four Chinese databases to identify the literature on the same, from the year of website establishment until November 2021. A total of 51 studies were evaluated, and data were obtained through Stata 16 analysis. Overall pooled risk factors for adult AR were smoking (odds ratio [OR] = 1.89, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.25, 2.87), asthma (OR = 3.30, 95% CI: 1.48, 7.39), a family history of AR (OR = 3.17, 95% CI: 2.31, 4.34), a family history of asthma (OR = 3.99, 95% CI: 2.58, 6.16), drug allergy (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.38, 1.89), food allergy (OR = 2.29, 95% CI: 1.39, 3.78), pollen allergy history (OR = 2.41, 95% CI: 1.67, 3.46), antibiotic use (OR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.28, 3.36), occupational dust exposure (OR = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.70, 2.47), home renovation (OR = 1.73, 95% CI: 0.99, 3.02), and middle school education (OR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.29, 3.06). Overall pooled risk factors for AR in children were passive smoking (OR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.02, 2.82), asthma (OR = 3.26, 95% CI: 2.42, 4.39), a family history of AR (OR = 2.59, 95% CI: 2.07, 3.24), a family history of allergy (OR = 4.84, 95% CI: 3.22, 7.26), a history of allergic diseases (OR = 2.11, 95% CI: 1.52, 2.94), eczema(OR = 2.29, 95% CI: 1.36, 3.85), owning pets (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.37, 1.77), eating seafood (OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.55), boys (OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.43, 1.74), and breastfeeding (OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.55, 1.22). The results of our meta-analysis showed that the prevalence of allergy rhinitis was 19% (95% CI 14-25) among adults and 22% (95% CI 17-27) among children, with boys showing a higher prevalence than girls. The development of AR in China is associated with several factors, including allergic diseases (eczema, asthma, pollen allergy, and food allergy), a family history of allergy (AR, asthma, and other allergies), and dwelling and working environment (smoking or passive smoking, occupational dust exposure, and owning pets); conversely, breastfeeding can reduce the risk.

Hydrodynamic cavitation: A feasible approach to intensify the emulsion cross-linking process for chitosan nanoparticle synthesis.

Chitosan nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit great potential in drug-controlled release systems. A controlled hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) technique was developed to intensify the emulsion crosslinking process for the synthesis of chitosan NPs. Experiments were performed using a circular venturi and under varying operating conditions, i.e., types of oil, addition mode of glutaraldehyde (Glu) solution, inlet pressure (Pin), and rheological properties of chitosan solution. Palm oil was more appropriate for use as the oil phase for the HC-intensified process than the other oil types. The addition mode of water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion containing Glu (with Span 80) was more favorable than the other modes for obtaining a narrow distribution of chitosan NPs. The minimum size of NPs with polydispersity index of 0.342 was 286.5 nm, and the maximum production yield (Py) could reach 47.26%. A positive correlation was found between the size of NPs and the droplet size of W/O emulsion containing chitosan at increasing Pin. Particle size, size distribution, and the formation of NPs were greatly dependent on the rheological properties of the chitosan solution. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis indicated that the molecular structure of palm oil was unaffected by HC-induced effects. Compared with ultrasonic horn, stirring-based, and conventional drop-by-drop processes, the application of HC to intensify the emulsion crosslinking process allowed the preparation of a finer and a narrower distribution of chitosan NPs in a more energy-efficient manner. The novel route developed in this work is a viable option for chitosan NP synthesis.

Factors associated with bronchiectasis in patients with moderate-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

A high prevalence of bronchiectasis was found by chest computed tomography (CT) in patients with moderate-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and it was shown to be associated with more severe symptoms, higher frequency of exacerbations and mortality. The risk factors for bronchiectasis in COPD are not yet clarified.High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of chest was performed in patients with moderate-severe COPD, and the presence and the extent of bronchiectasis were evaluated by two radiologists. Demographic data, respiratory symptoms, lung function, previous pulmonary tuberculosis, serum inflammatory markers, serum total immunoglobulin E (T-IgE), and sputum culture of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were compared between those with and without bronchiectasis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent factors associated with bronchiectasis.We enrolled 190 patients with stable COPD, of which 87 (87/190, 45.8%) had bronchiectasis on HRCT. Compared with those without bronchiectasis, COPD patients with bronchiectasis were more likely to be males (P = 0.021), had a lower body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.019), a higher prevalence of previous tuberculosis (P = 0.005), longer history of dyspnea (P < 0.001), more severe dyspnea (P = 0.041), higher frequency of acute exacerbation (P = 0.002), higher serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) (P = 0.017), fibrinogen (P = 0.016), and T-IgE [P = 0.004; for log10(T-IgE), P <0.001]. COPD patients with bronchiectasis also showed poorer lung function (for FEV1/FVC, P = 0.013; for FEV1%predicted, P = 0.012; for global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease (GOLD) grades, P = 0.035), and a higher positive rate of sputum P aeruginosa (P = 0.020). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that male gender (P = 0.021), previous tuberculosis (P = 0.021), and increased level of serum T-IgE [for log10(T-IgE), P < 0.001] were risk factors for coexistent bronchiectasis. More notably, the level of serum T-IgE [log10(T-IgE)] was positively correlated with the extent of bronchiectasis in COPD patients (r = 0.208, P = 0.05).Higher serum T-IgE, male gender, and previous tuberculosis are independent risk factors for coexistent bronchiectasis in COPD. The association of T-IgE with the extent of bronchiectasis also suggests that further investigations are needed to explore the potential role of IgE in the pathogenesis of bronchiectasis in COPD.

Beta-blockers reduced the risk of mortality and exacerbation in patients with COPD: a meta-analysis of observational studies.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is a primary cause of death in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Beta-blockers have been proved to reduce morbidity and improve survival in patients with cardiac diseases. But the effects of beta-blockers on outcomes in patients with COPD remain controversial. The objective of this meta-analysis was to assess the effect of beta-blockers on mortality and exacerbation in patients with COPD. METHODS: An extensive search of the EMBASE, MEDLINE and Cochrane was performed to retrieve the studies of beta-blockers treatment in patients with COPD. The random effects model meta-analysis was used to evaluate effect on overall mortality and exacerbation of COPD. RESULTS: Fifteen original observational cohort studies with a follow-up time from 1 to 7.2 years were included. The results revealed that beta-blockers treatment significantly decreased the risk of overall mortality and exacerbation of COPD. The relative risk (RR) for overall mortality was 0.72 (0.63 to 0.83), and for exacerbation of COPD was 0.63 (0.57 to 0.71). In subgroup analysis of COPD patients with coronary heart disease or heart failure, the risk for overall mortality was 0.64 (0.54-0.76) and 0.74 (0.58-0.93), respectively. CONCLUSION: The findings of this meta-analysis confirmed that beta-blocker use in patients with COPD may not only decrease the risk of overall mortality but also reduce the risk of exacerbation of COPD. Beta-blocker prescription for cardiovascular diseases needs to improve in COPD patients.

Alterations of bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells following acute pulmonary embolism in mice.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common, lethal, ischemic disease. PE-induced endothelium injury plays a critical role in the pathophysiological consequences of PE. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) can be mobilized from the bone marrow to enter circulation and play important roles in repair of damaged endothelium. However, it is not yet known if EPC mobilization results from PE. The alterations of the quantity and function of bone marrow-derived EPCs were detected in acute pulmonary embolism (APE) events in mice, and the possible role of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)/nitric oxide (NO) pathway in those alterations was explored. APE models were established by injection of autologous thrombi into the right jugular vein of C57BL/6 mice. Mice were divided into sham and experimental groups including one hour (1H), one day (1D) and two day (2D) groups after injection. The results showed that in the APE 1D group, the thrombi were easily found in the large or medium pulmonary vessel. And CD133(+) or CD34(+) cells in bone marrow increased significantly, while CD133(+)/vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2(+) EPCs decreased. After seven days in culture, the abilities of incorporation into a vascular network, adhesion to fibronectin, migration and proliferation of bone marrow-derived EPCs in the APE 1D group increased significantly. The mRNA and protein expression levels of eNOS in EPCs increased in the APE 1D group. Treatment of EPCs with N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester inhibited functional alterations induced by APE. The results suggested that APE events stimulate the mobilization of EPCs from bone marrow, and enhance their functions. The eNOS/NO pathway may be involved in this process.