Alterations in articular cartilage frictional properties in the setting of acute gouty arthritis.

The tribological behaviour of articular cartilage plays a key role in joint motion; however, there is a gap in research on the effect of hyperuricemic joint fluid on cartilage friction behaviour in acute gouty arthritis. In this study, we carried out a fixed-load scratch experiment to compare the friction and wear of articular cartilage under the lubrication of gouty arthritis arthritic fluid and normal human arthritic fluid, and the results showed that the cartilage friction coefficient of patients with acute gouty arthritis was significantly larger than that of normal human beings, and that the cartilage friction coefficient decreased with the elevation of normal load and sliding speed, and the change with the sliding speed varied more differently from that of normal human beings, and that the cartilage surface wear was more severe after prolonged friction. The wear and tear of the cartilage surface is more severe after prolonged friction. Patients with gouty arthritis should reduce the sudden speed changes such as fast running and variable speed running to maintain the stability of the cartilage surface friction coefficient.

A New Dual-peak Fluorescent Probe for Water Content Detection Made From Taxus.

In this paper, the leaves of Taxus were used as the sole carbon source, and two kinds of carbon dots blue and red, with different properties, were synthesized by the hydrothermal method under different conditions. The red carbon dots were quenched in the water, and the blue carbon dots had stable fluorescence properties in water environment. The bimodal fluorescence probe formed by mixing could accurately and stably measure the water content in ethanol, which was in the range of 82.5%-100%, is highly correlated with the fluorescence intensity ratio (I481/I678) of mixed carbon dots under 390 nm excitation light, with R2 = 0.995 and the detection limit as low as 0.31%. The experimental materials are environmentally friendly, low in cost, and simple to operate, as well as the water content measured by proportional fluorescence has high accuracy, which provides a new method for measuring moisture in ethanol.

Nerve growth factor regulates liver cancer cell polarity and motility.

Nerve growth factor (NGF), a prototypical neurotrophic factor essential for neuronal cell proliferation and survival, has been implicated as a marker of tumor progression, as well as a potential target for novel therapeutic approaches in cancer. To investigate the functional potential of NGF in liver cancer in the present study, a stable NGF­overexpressing HepG2 cell line was generated. The scratch­wound assay was used to investigate cell motility and polarity. Western blotting was performed to evaluate the expression levels of epithelial­mesenchymal transition (EMT)­related proteins, including E­cadherin, N­cadherin and vimentin. Moreover, immunofluorescence was performed to investigate the arrangement of the actin cytoskeleton. Cell anoikis resistance was examined using a suspension culture model and cell apoptosis was examined via flow cytometry. The present results indicated that NGF overexpression in HepG2 cells disrupted HepG2 cell polarity and promoted cell motility. Furthermore, NGF overexpression induced EMT and actin cytoskeleton rearrangement in HepG2 cells, as well as enhanced anoikis resistance and prevented cellular apoptosis. Notably, a tropomyosin receptor kinase A receptor inhibitor blocked NGF­induced cell motility and apoptosis. Therefore, it was suggested that NGF serves a critical role in the invasion and metastasis of liver cancer. The use of NGF as a biomarker or potential new target could lead to the development of novel factors for diagnosis or for improving therapeutic strategies in liver cancer.

Early changes in retinal microcirculation after uncomplicated cataract surgery using an active-fluidics system.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the early changes in retinal microcirculation after uncomplicated cataract surgery using an active-fluidics system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients underwent uncomplicated cataract surgery for both eyes were enrolled. The two eyes of the patients were randomly assigned to two groups, the active-fluidics group and the gravity-fluidics group. One eye using an active-fluidics system, and the other using a gravity-fluidics system. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) was performed at 1 day, 7 days, 30 days, and 90 days after surgery. RESULTS: Fifty eyes (25 patients) were included in the final analysis. A significantly lower cumulative dissipated energy (CDE), estimated fluid usage (EFU), and total aspiration time (TAT) were observed in the active-fluidics group (all P<0.05). The superficial vessel density at parafoveal region increased at 7 days and 30 days after cataract surgery in the eyes of both the active-fluidics and gravity-fluidics groups, with the fluctuation in eyes of the gravity-fluidics group more significant. The vessel density of deep capillary plexus remained stable during the follow-up period. Significant changes of retinal thickness in macular region (fovea, parafovea) were observed in eyes of the gravity-fluidics group through the comparison of corresponding values at different time points (p = 0.008, 0.005). No significant change in retinal thickness was observed in eyes of the active-fluidics. CONCLUSIONS: Retinal microcirculation and thickness were disturbed after cataract surgery using the gravity-fluidics infusion system. The active-fluidics system not only improved the surgical efficacy but also protected the retinal vasculature during cataract surgery. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: The study has been registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov with its clinical trial accession number of NCT0130500.

Effect of smartphone application assisted medical service on follow-up adherence improvement in pediatric cataract patients.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the potential of the smartphone application assisted medical service to increase patient compliance in attendance of follow-up after pediatric cataract treatment. METHODS: This prospective study enrolled a total of 163 pediatric cataract patients with uneventful surgery. According to their follow-up intervention method, patients were divided into the smartphone application assisted medical service group (WeChat group, 75 patients) or control group (88 patients). Attendance at five follow-up appointments after surgery was recorded. The percentage of patients that attend each follow-up appointment and the compliance of refractive correction were assessed. RESULTS: Although no significant difference was observed in the first appointment comparing the two groups (98.7% vs. 94.3%, p = 0.293), the attendance rates at the other appointments of the WeChat group were significantly higher than the control group (second: 98.7% vs. 89.8%, third: 97.3% vs. 83%, fourth: 93.3% vs. 78.4%, fifth: 80% vs. 56.8%, total: 93.6% vs. 80.5%, respectively). Compared with the control group, the odd ratios for adherence improvement were 4.4 for males (95% confidence index [CI] 2.54-7.65), 4.75 for patients more than 2 years old (95% CI 2.41-9.36), 4.19 for intraocular lens implantation (2.29-7.66), 6.93 for unilateral cataract (2.9-16.52), 4.87 for undeveloped cities (2.74-8.65), and 3.49 for cities far away (2.04-5.96), with all the p < 0.0001. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the use of smartphone application assisted medical service can significantly improve follow-up attendance after pediatric cataract treatment.

[Effect of adjuvant therapy with Dingguier umbilical paste on intestinal flora of diarrhea infants and its action characteristics].

The applicator therapy is a unique method to treat infant diarrhea in traditional Chinese medicines and widely applied in clinical practice. Currently, many researchers have proved the rationality of the therapy based on the traditional Chinese medicine mechanism and on the data from clinical practice, but its action mechanism is uncertain at present. In this study, with the assistance of pediatric practitioners, the automated ribosomal intergenic-spacer analysis (ARISA) was adopted to study the effect of the adjuvant therapy with Dingguier umbilical paste on intestinal flora of diarrhea infants, in which Dingguier umbilical paste served as the adjuvant therapy in oral traditional Chinese medicines and fecal samples of infants with different diarrhea symptoms were collected and used as the study materials. The results showed that the adjuvant therapy had a significant effect on the shift of intestinal flora, which was associated with the decrease in the similarity difference to the normal control group and the increase in the number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) shared with the normal control group. Additionally, adjuvant therapy with Dingguier umbilical paste also showed long action duration and increased OTUs number. These results indicated that Dingguier umbilical paste has the effect in restoring the micro-ecosystem of unbalanced intestinal bacteria. Intestinal flora may be one of major targets for the applicator therapy for the infant diarrhea, but not for the single oral traditional Chinese medicine for infant diarrhea.

Pickering-emulsion inversion strategy for separating and recycling nanoparticle catalysts.

With the recent advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology, more and more nanoparticle catalysts featuring high accessibility of active sites and high surface area have been explored for their use in various chemical transformations, and their rise in popularity among the catalysis community has been unprecedented. The industrial applications of these newly discovered catalysts, however, are hampered because the existing methods for separation and recycling, such as filtration and centrifugation, are generally unsuccessful. These limitations have prompted development of new methods that facilitate separation and recycling of nanoparticle catalysts, so as to meet the burgeoning demands of green and sustainable chemistry. Recently, we have found that Pickering-emulsion inversion is an appealing strategy with which to realize in situ separation and recycling of nanoparticle catalysts and thereby to establish sustainable catalytic processes. We feel that at such an early stage, this strategy, as an alternative to conventional methods, is conceptually new for readers but that it has potential to become a popular method for green catalysis. This Concept article aims to provide a timely link between previous efforts and both current and future research on nanoparticle catalysts, and is expected to facilitate further investigation into this strategy.

Characterizing the role of PCDH9 in the regulation of glioma cell apoptosis and invasion.

PCDH9, a member of the protocadherin superfamily, is frequently lost in many different cancer types. This study aimed to detect PCDH9 expression in glioma tissues. This study also assessed the effects of PCDH9 expression in two different glioma cell lines. This was accomplished by manipulating PCDH9 expression in these glioma cell lines. The data showed that the expression of PCDH9 mRNA and protein was significantly decreased in gliomas compared to normal brain tissues. Lentivirus carrying PCDH9 cDNA restored PCDH9 expression in the U87 and U251 glioma cell lines. PCDH9 restoration in these cell lines reduced tumor cell viability, induced apoptosis, and caused G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. PCDH9 expression also suppressed the colony formation ability and invasion capacity of U87 and U251 cells. Molecularly, the restoration of PCDH9 expression upregulated Bax protein expression, but downregulated Bcl-2 and cyclin D1 expression. These data from the current study suggest that the loss of PCDH9 expression could contribute to glioma development and/or progression. Further studies will evaluate PCDH9 expression as a biomarker for the early detection of gliomas and as a prognostic indicator for this cancer type.

A mesoporous silica nanocomposite shuttle: pH-triggered phase transfer between oil and water.

With a simple protocol, we synthesize a novel mesoporous silica nanocomposite shuttle that can reversibly transfer between an organic phase and water in response to the pH, due to the switchable surface hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity. Our synthesis protocol allows the phase transfer ability to be tuned in a controllable fashion. This nanocomposite shuttle exhibits a good ability to load various cargoes such as Pd(OAc)2, Pd nanoparticles, and organic molecules. The built-in properties of the nanocomposite shuttle lay the foundations for many innovative applications. As a proof of concept, we successfully demonstrate its application in separating and recycling Pd nanoparticle catalysts. The composite shuttle can take Pd nanoparticles to an organic phase for catalyzing hydrogenation of olefins and come back to an aqueous phase at the end of reaction, making in situ separation and recycling of nanocatalysts possible. This pH-driven round trip for catalysis can be repeated several times. Our investigations not only supply a novel nanocomposite shuttle with controllable properties but also open an innovative avenue to in situ separation and recycling of nanocatalysts, which can address the obstacles of the conventional methods such as centrifugation and filtration.

Up-regulation of USP2a and FASN in gliomas correlates strongly with glioma grade.

Gliomas are the most common neoplasms in the central nervous system. The lack of efficacy of glioma therapies necessitates in-depth studies of glioma pathology, especially of the underlying molecular mechanisms that transform normal glial cells into tumor cells. Here we report that a deubiquitinating enzyme, ubiquitin-specific protease 2a (USP2a), and its substrate, fatty acid synthase (FASN), are over-expressed in glioma tissue. Using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Western blot and immunohistochemistry, we examined the expression and cellular distribution of USP2a and FASN in human glioma tissues. The expression patterns of USP2a and FASN correlated with the pathologic and clinical characteristics of the patients. Real-time PCR analysis showed that the expression levels of USP2a and its substrate FASN were higher in high-grade (World Health Organization [WHO] grades III and IV) glioma tissues than in low-grade (WHO grades I and II) glioma tissues. Western blot analysis indicated that the average optical densitometry ratio of USP2a and its substrate FASN in high-grade gliomas was higher than in low-grade gliomas. Moreover, statistical analysis of grade-classified glioma samples showed that the level of USP2a and FASN expression increased with the elevation of the WHO grade of glioma. USP2a protein expression was detected in the nucleus of glioma tissues and an increase in expression was significantly associated with the elevation of the WHO grade of glioma by immunohistochemistry. These findings expand our understanding of the molecular profiling of glioma and could shed light on new diagnostic criteria for gliomas.

Combination of HPLC chromatogram and hypoglycemic effect identifies isoflavones as the principal active fraction of Belamcanda chinensis leaf extract in diabetes treatment.

In previous study, we demonstrated the hypoglycemic effect of aqueous extract of Belamcanda chinensis leaves in rats. Here, we separated the aqueous extract of B. chinensis leaves and investigated the spectrum-effect relationships between HPLC chromatograms and hypoglycemic activities of different isolates from B. chinensis leaf extract. Sequential solvent extraction with petroleum ether, chloroform, acetic ester and n-butanol provided several isolates showing similar hypoglycemic activities, making it difficult to discriminate the active fractions. Stepwise elution through HP20 macroporous resin by water, 40% and 95% ethanol provided isolates with distinct hypoglycemic activities, representing a simple, rapid and efficient preparative separation method. Combination of HPLC chromatogram and pharmacological effect targeted a hypoglycemic activity-related region in HPLC chromatogram. Each peak in this region was analyzed by UV spectrum scan. Most of them were flavonoids in which tectoridin and swertisin were known flavonoids with anti-diabetic activities. In together, this work provides a general model of combination of HPLC chromatography and pharmacological effect to study the spectrum-effect relationships of aqueous extract from B. chinensis leaves, which can be used to find principle components of B. chinensis on pharmacological activity.

Appraisal of antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory potential of extract and fractions from the leaves of Torreya grandis Fort Ex. Lindl.

Torreya grandis (Taxaceae) was studied for antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects. Leaves were extracted with 80% ethanol at 80 degrees C for 3h and fractionated with petroleum ether, chloroform, ethylacetate and n-butanol. The aqueous ethanolic extract (aq.EE), ethylacetate fraction (EaF) and butanol fraction (BtF) at the doses of (100 and 200mg/kg, i.g.) body weight were used for study. Evaluation of antinociceptive activity was carried out by acetic acid-induced writhing response and formalin-induced paw licking time in the first and second phases of mice. The paw edema induced by formalin- and xylene-induced ear edema were used to assess anti-inflammatory activity. It was found that Torreya grandis extract and fractions at the doses of (100 and 200mg/kg, i.g.) were significantly attenuated the writhing responses induced by acetic acid and second phase of pain response induced by subplantar injection of formalin in mice. In addition, these extract and fractions inhibiting the formaldehyde-induced arthritis as well as xylene-induces edema prolifically. From acute oral toxicity studies no mortality was pragmatic even at highest dose (2500 mg/kg, i.g.). Furthermore, our phytochemical studies indicated that the aq. ethanolic extract of leaves contains alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids and saponins. The results provide justification for the folkloric uses of Torreya grandis in the treatment of analgesic and inflammatory-based diseases across the China.

Chromatographic fingerprint analysis of Cephalotaxus sinensis from various sources by high-performance liquid chromatography-diodearray detection-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry.

Selective and efficient analytical methods are required not only for quality assurance but also for authentication of Chinese herbal medicine. A simple, rapid and valid fingerprint method has been first carried out for the quality control of Cephalotaxus sinensis by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with photodiode array detection (DAD) and electrospray ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The characteristic analytical fingerprints of this plant extract showed 18 common peaks, and out of these, 10 compounds involving 2 new compounds were identified by comparing the retention time, UV and ESI-MS/MS spectrum of each standard with those of each peak separated by on-line HPLC-DAD-MS/MS. Moreover, the effects of collecting locations, harvesting time, storage time, drying methods, and medicinal portions on herbal chromatographic fingerprints were examined by similarity analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) along with markers. Using the reference fingerprint along with markers, the best harvesting time, cultivation location and medicinal part were determined. The results obtained suggest that the chromatographic fingerprint combining similarity evaluation and PCA along with markers or pharmacologically active constituents can efficiently identify raw herb of Cephalotaxus sinensis from different sources, which provide helpful clues to the study of plant's secondary metabolites and benefit quality control.

Antihyperglycemic effect of Cephalotaxus sinensis leaves and GLUT-4 translocation facilitating activity of its flavonoid constituents.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the antihyperglycemic effect of Cephalotaxus sinensis leaves and to identify the active components. The antihyperglycemic effect of various fractions (FA, FB, FC, FD) of the 80% ethanol extract of the leaves was evaluated in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Among the tested fractions, FC was the most active. FC (0.48 g/kg) given orally for 10 d reduced significantly (p<0.001) the blood glucose of STZ-induced diabetic rats. The food and water intakes of FC (0.48 g/kg)-treated diabetic rats were reduced significantly (p<0.001) when compared to the 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-treated diabetic rats. The activity-guided fractionation of the ethanol extract of C. sinensis leaves furnished three flavonoid compounds, apigenin-5-O-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->4)-6-O-beta-D-acetylglucopyranoside] (1), apigenin (2), and apigenin-5-O-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->4)-6-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside] (3). The elevation of GLUT-4 protein level in membrane preparations from mice adipocytes was detected by Western blot analysis after adipocytes were pre-incubated with FC (0.1, 1, 10 mg/ml), apigenin (0.1, 2 mg/ml) and apigenin-5-O-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->4)-6-O-beta-D-acetylglucopyranoside] (0.1, 2 mg/ml), respectively. Phytochemical investigation and HPLC-DAD analysis of FC indicated that the flavonoids were the major constituents in this fraction. These results suggest that the fraction from C. sinensis leaves is a promising drug for the treatment of diabetes, and that the flavonoids from this plant are the active constituents.

[Determination of astragulin in Thesium chinese by RP-HPLC].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a determination method of astragulin in Thesium chinese. METHOD: RP-HPLC analytical method was established using a Polaris C18 column and acetonitrile-water (23:77) as the mobile phase, with a flow rate of 10 mL x min(-1), detected at 346 nm. The method of sample is refluxing exation by 50% alcohol for 2 times. RESULT: The content of astragulin was from 0. 120% to 0. 155%, in different groups of T. chinese collected from the same location. CONCLUSION: The method was validated to show convenient and reliable.

Association of Fas-670 gene polymorphism with inflammatory bowel disease in Chinese patients.

AIM: Recent studies suggest that Fas-mediated apoptosis is involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It has been hypothesized that either increased apoptosis of intestinal epithelium or decreased apoptosis of lamina propria lymphocytes may induce inflammation of gut. The aim of this study was to determine whether the Fas gene promoter polymorphism at position-670 was associated with IBD in Chinese patients. METHODS: Fifty unrelated Chinese patients with IBD (38 patients with ulcerative colitis and 12 with Crohn's disease) and 124 healthy controls were genotyped for the Fas-670 polymorphism by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The PCR product was digested by Mva I restriction enzyme. RESULTS: Distribution of the Fas-670 gene polymorphism was 33% for the AA genotype, 52% for the AG genotype and 15% for the GG genotype in 124 healthy subjects. In patients with IBD, 30% was for the AA genotype, 42% for the AG genotype and 28% for the GG genotype respectively. However, there was no significant difference in the genotype (P = 0.1498), allele frequencies (P = 0.3198) and carriage frequencies (P = 0.4133) between healthy controls and IBD patients. Furthermore, we did not find any difference between the left-sided colitis and total colitis (P = 0.8242). CONCLUSION: Fas-670 polymorphism is not associated with IBD in Chinese patients.

[Study on liposome preparation technique of Bupleurum chinense volatile oil for injection].

OBJECTIVE: To study the preparation technique of the liposome of Bupleurum chinense volatile oil. METHOD: The composition, entrapment ratio of volatile oil, availability of freeze-drying and the changes of finger prints were studied. RESULT: Entrapment ratio reached 81.9%. After freeze-dried, the remaining ratio of the oil entrapped in the liposome reached 88.6%. CONCLUSION: It is practicable to make B. chinense injection into freeze-dried liposome powder.