GSH Oligomer-Directed Chiral Au-Helicoid Nanoparticles for Discriminating Penicillamine Enantiomers.

Preparing chiral plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) with strong chiroptical responses is crucial in numerous fields including constructing optical materials, chiral sensing, and chiral-dependent biological processes. However, precise regulation over the chiral optical activity and chiral configuration of plasmonic NPs is still a challenge. In this work, we report Au helicoid NPs with different chiral structures and reversal chirality directed by the oligomeric structure of inducer glutathione (GSH). By precisely controlling the oligomeric structure of GSH and other synthetic parameters, we successfully prepared chiral Au helicoid NPs with a high anisotropy factor of 0.03. The obtained chiral Au NPs demonstrated an excellent performance in discriminating penicillamine (Pen) enantiomers. Our findings provide a construction strategy for chiral Au NPs and contribute insight into the regulation effect of chiral inducers on the growth of chiral metal NPs.

Up-and-over access is not an optimal pathway for percutaneous catheter-directed thrombolysis in acute iliofemoral popliteal venous thrombosis.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the feasibility and results of up-and-over access (UOA) for catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) in acute iliofemoral popliteal venous thrombosis (IFPVT). METHODS: From June 2020 to June 2021, a total of 26 patients (26 lower limbs) undergoing CDT for IFPVT were included. According to the vascular access, the patients were divided into UOA group (n = 11, 10 left limbs and 1 right limb) and ipsilateral popliteal vein (ILPV) (n = 15, 15 left limbs) access group. The differences in preoperative characteristics and technical details between the two groups were compared. RESULTS: Patients in UOA group were older than those in ILPV access group (67.64 ± 4.11 years VS. 52.73 ± 15.63 years, p = .003). The BMI of UOA group was significantly higher than that of ILPV access group (26.03 ± 1.62 kg/m2 VS 24.71 ± 1.46 kg/m2, p = .039). There were significantly more patients with simultaneous three comorbidities in UOA group than in ILPV access group (45.5% vs. 0, p = .043). Compared with ILPV access group, the duration of operation and fluoroscopy of UOA group were significantly longer (20.64 ± 3.41 min vs. 10.20 ± 1.42 min, p < .001; 18.18 ± 2.99 min vs. 6.13 ± 0.92 min, p < .001), but the technical success rate was significantly lower (54.5% vs. 100%, p = .007). In UOA group, the operation-related complications occurred, including catheter straying into lateral sacral vein (9.1%), retroperitoneal hematoma (9.1%), and thrombus shedding into filter (9.1%). CONCLUSION: The UOA may be attempted in patients who are unable to be prone, but this access is not an optimal pathway for CDT.

lncRNA NEAT1 promotes the Taxol resistance of breast cancer via sponging the miR-23a-3p-FOXA1 axis.

Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy among women worldwide. Paclitaxel (Taxol) is a widely applied chemotherapeutic agent against breast cancer. Although Taxol therapy has achieved improvements recently, development of chemoresistance of breast cancer patients is a major obstacle, leading to therapeutic failure. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play pivotal roles in tumorigenesis and progresses of breast cancer. However, the biological roles and molecular targets of lncRNA NEAT1 in Taxol-resistant breast cancer remain unclear. Here, we report that NEAT1 is significantly upregulated in breast tumors and cell lines. In addition, silencing NEAT1 effectively sensitizes breast cancer cells to Taxol. Bioinformatical analysis and luciferase assay demonstrated that miR-23a-3p could be sponged and downregulated by NEAT1. We demonstrated that miR-23a-3p was downregulated and functioned as a tumor suppressor in breast cancer. Furthermore, in the established Taxol-resistant MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line, we detected significantly increased NEAT1 expression and downregulated miR-23a-3p expression. Importantly, FOXA1 was identified and validated as a direct target of miR-23a-3p in breast cancer cells. Rescue experiments demonstrated that the restoration of miR-23a-3p in NEAT1-overexpressing Taxol-resistant breast cancer cells successfully overcame the NEAT1-promoted Taxol resistance. Taken together, our results revealed the clinical roles and molecular mechanisms for the NEAT1-mediated chemoresistance, providing new insights into the development of non-coding RNA-based therapeutic strategies for enhancing the anti-cancer effects of traditional chemotherapeutic drugs.

Benefits, costs, and livelihood implications of a regional payment for ecosystem service program.

Despite broad interest in using payment for ecosystem services to promote changes in the use of natural capital, there are few expost assessments of impacts of payment for ecosystem services programs on ecosystem service provision, program cost, and changes in livelihoods resulting from program participation. In this paper, we evaluate the Paddy Land-to-Dry Land (PLDL) program in Beijing, China, and associated changes in service providers' livelihood activities. The PLDL is a land use conversion program that aims to protect water quality and quantity for the only surface water reservoir that serves Beijing, China's capital city with nearly 20 million residents. Our analysis integrates hydrologic data with household survey data and shows that the PLDL generates benefits of improved water quantity and quality that exceed the costs of reduced agricultural output. The PLDL has an overall benefit-cost ratio of 1.5, and both downstream beneficiaries and upstream providers gain from the program. Household data show that changes in livelihood activities may offset some of the desired effects of the program through increased expenditures on agricultural fertilizers. Overall, however, reductions in fertilizer leaching from land use change dominate so that the program still has a positive net impact on water quality. This program is a successful example of water users paying upstream landholders to improve water quantity and quality through land use change. Program evaluation also highlights the importance of considering behavioral changes by program participants.

Particle swarm optimization algorithm with Gaussian exponential model to predict daily and monthly global solar radiation in Northeast China.

Reliable global solar radiation (Rs) information is crucial for the design and management of solar energy systems for agricultural and industrial production. However, Rs measurements are unavailable in many regions of the world, which impedes the development and application of solar energy. To accurately estimate Rs, particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm integrating Gaussian exponential model (GEM) was proposed for estimating daily and monthly global Rs in Northeast China. The PSO-GEM was compared with four other machine learning models and two empirical models to assess its applicability using daily meteorological data from 1997 to 2016 from four stations in Northeast China. The results showed that in different stations, the PSO-GEM with full climatic data as inputs showed the highest accuracy to estimate daily Rs with RMSE, RRMSE, MAE, R2, and Ens values of 1.045-1.719 MJ m-2 d-1, 7.6-12.7%, 0.801-1.283 MJ m-2 d-1, 0.953-0.981, and 0.946-0.977, respectively. The PSO-GEM showed the highest accuracy to estimate monthly Rs with RMSE, RRMSE, MAE, R2, and Ens values of 0.197-0.575 MJ m-2 d-1, 1.5-7.0%, 0.137-0.499 MJ m-2 d-1, 0.999-1, and 0.992-0.999, respectively. Overall, the PSO-GEM had the highest accuracy under different inputs and is recommended for modeling daily and monthly Rs in Northeast China.

Curcumin Synergizes with Cisplatin to Inhibit Colon Cancer through Targeting the MicroRNA-137-Glutaminase Axis.

OBJECTIVE: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most lethal and prevalent malignancies world-wide. Currently, surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are clinically applied as common approaches for CRC patients. Cisplatin is one of the most frequently used chemotherapy drugs for diverse cancers. Although chemotherapeutic strategies have improved the prognosis and survival of cancer patients, development of cisplatin resistance has led to cancer recurrence. Curcumin, isolated from turmeric, has been used as an effective anti-cancer agent. However, the molecular mechanisms for curcumin-mediated cisplatin sensitivity of CRC have not been elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the effects of curcumin treatment on cisplatin-resistant CRC cells. METHODS: Expression levels of miRNAs and mRNAs were determined by qRT-PCR. Protein expression levels were detected by Western blotting. Cell responses to curcumin treatments were evaluated by MTT assay, Clonogenic assay and Annexin V apoptosis assay. The glutamine metabolism of colon cancer cells was assessed by glutamine uptake and glutaminase (GLS) activity. The binding of miR-137 on 3' UTR of GLS was validated by Western blotting and luciferase assay. RESULTS: Results demonstrated that curcumin significantly synergized with cisplatin (combination index <1) to suppress proliferation of colon cancer cells compared with curcumin or cisplatin alone. Moreover, from the established cisplatin-resistant cell line (HT-29), glutamine metabolism was remarkedly elevated in cisplatin-resistant CRC cells that displayed a glutamine addictive phenotype. Furthermore, curcumin treatments attenuated glutamine metabolism in colon cancer cells. Under low glutamine supply, colon cancer cells showed less sensitivity to curcumin. Using a microRNA (miRNA) microArray assay, miR-137, a tumor suppressor in colon cancer, was significantly induced by curcumin treatments in CRC cells. Bioinformatics analysis and a luciferase assay illustrated miR-137 directly targeted the 3' UTR of GLS mRNA. Rescue experiments demonstrated that miR-137-induced cisplatin sensitization was through targeting of GLS. Finally, curcumin treatment overcame cisplatin resistance through miR-137-mediated glutamine inhibition. CONCLUSION: Collectively, these results indicate that curcumin could be clinically applied as an anti-chemoresistance approach against CRC by modulating miR-137-inhibited glutamine metabolism.

Simulating reference crop evapotranspiration with different climate data inputs using Gaussian exponential model.

Obtaining accurate data on reference crop evapotranspiration (ET0) is important for agricultural water management. A novel Gaussian exponential model (GEM) was developed in this study to predict ET0 with limited climatic data. The GEM was further compared with the M5 model tree (M5T), extreme learning machine (ELM), and boosted trees (BT) model under local and regional scenarios. Daily meteorological data during 1997-2016 from four stations in Northeast China were used to develop and validate the model. The results showed that the models considering solar radiation and relative humidity demonstrated considerably higher accuracy than those using other inputs. The GEM demonstrated higher accuracy among the four machine learning models for different stations. The accuracy of GEM under local scenarios was higher than that under regional scenarios with the root mean square error (RMSE) reducing by 0.025-0.046 mm/d, relative root mean square error (RRMSE) reducing by 0.879-2.022%, coefficient of efficiency (Ens) increasing by 0.008-0.026, the coefficients of determination (R2) increasing by 0.008-0.026, and mean absolute error (MAE) reducing by 0.015-0.033 mm/d. The GEM considering solar radiation had the highest accuracy with the global performance indicator (GPI) of 1.876. It can also be seen from the Taylor diagrams that the GEM has the the lowest standard deviation and mean square error and the highest correlation coefficient with the standard values. In general, the GEM considering solar radiation had the lowest error and the highest consistency and could be recommended for ET0 simulation for Northeast China.

Regional differences and the driving mechanism of relationships between rural household livelihood and ecosystem services:A case study in upstream watershed of Miyun Reservoir, China.

It is of great significance to link ecosystem and rural household welfare, with the aim to develop different strategies of rural household livelihood management and regional sustainable deve-lopment. Based on 1754 questionnaires of rural households in Beijing and Hebei within the upstream watershed of Miyun Reservoir, we analyzed the relationships between rural household welfare (defined by total income per rural household) and ecosystem reliance (expressed by an index of dependence on ecosystem services) by statistical and econometric methods. The relationships between rural household welfare and ecosystem reliance could be classified into four types, but with significant differences between Beijing and Hebei within the watershed. The rural household type of high welfare and low dependence had the highest proportion (33.9%) in Beijing. The average annual income and livelihood capitals of rural households in Beijing was significantly higher than that of Hebei Province. In Hebei Province, the dominant type was low welfare and high dependency (39.1%) that was the least popular one. The quality of human capital quality, social capital, and financial capital, which were crucial to human well-being, were significantly lower than that of Beijing households. The income of rural households in Hebei mainly depended on agricultural production (41.2%), which led to higher land utilization intensity. The natural resource and human capital quality significantly influenced rural household livelihood in Hebei. Maintaining suitable family size and age structure, improving education and skill levels, and strengthening payment for ecosystem services within low welfare households would be the key to form a good relationship between ecosystems and household welfare (the type of high welfare and low dependency).

5-(4-Hy-droxy-3-meth-oxy-benz-yl)-1,3-thia-zolidine-2,4-dione monohydrate.

In the title compound, C(11)H(11)NO(4)S·H(2)O, the five-membered thia-zolidine ring is nearly planar, with a maximum deviation of 0.010 (2) Å. The dihedral angle between the thia-zolidine and benzene rings is 49.16 (9)°. Inter-molecular O-H⋯O and N-H⋯O hydrogen bonding is present in the crystal structure.

Polyaniline nanorods and hollow-microspheres prepared by using copper wires or rings as template.

Polyaniline nanorods and hollow-microspheres have been successfully prepared by using copper wires and rings, respectively, as template in the presence of H4SiW12O40 and ammonium persulfate, which used as dopant and oxidant, respectively in this system. Different morphology of the resulting products can be obtained and controlled by using corresponding different shape of the objects. Furthermore, the template of this method not only needn't contain or react with chemicals but also the removal of it is extremely easy and facile without solvent or extra disposal. Meanwhile, possible formation processes of polyaniline nanorods and hollow-microspheres are proposed. The structure and morphology of the polyaniline nanorods and hollow-microspheres were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer spectra, X-ray diffraction patterns, Scanning Electron Microscope images, and Transmission Electron Microscopy images. Prompted by the high surface areas, small diameter, and porous structure of the prepared polyaniline, we constructed the polyaniline gas sensors and found that the polyaniline hollow-microspheres had better sensitivity than the polyaniline nanorods to NH3 gas.

Paeoniflorin inhibits proliferation of endometrial cancer cells via activating MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways.

Paeoniflorin (PAE), a principal bioactive component of Paeonia lactiflora Pall., appears to have antitumor properties. However, the pharmacological activity of PAE in endometrial cancer and the specific mechanisms have remained largely elusive. The present study aimed to determine the antitumor activity of PAE in the human endometrial cancer cell line RL95-2 and explore the potential mechanisms. Cell proliferation was assessed to evaluate the antitumor effect of PAE towards RL95-2 cells via a Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Protein expression was examined to investigate changes in the signaling pathways of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB in RL95-2 cells during PAE treatment by western blot analysis. The results revealed that PAE significantly and dose- and time-dependently inhibited the proliferation of RL95-2 cells. In addition, PAE activated MAPK signaling pathways (p38, JNK and ERK) and the NF-κB signaling pathway. Furthermore, p38 MAPK and NF-κB inhibitors (SB203580 and MG-132, respectively) prevented PAE-induced proliferative inhibition in RL95-2 cells. However, ERK and JNK inhibitors (PD98059 and BI-78D3, respectively) did not produce such an inhibition. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that PAE exerts its anti-proliferative activity via activating p38 MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways in endometrial cancer cells, providing a potential new drug of choice for endometrial cancer therapy.

A comparison of clinical efficacy between different surgical approaches for popliteal cyst.

BACKGROUND: A popliteal cyst is a benign swelling with synovial fluid located behind the knee joint. Popliteal cysts are often asymptomatic; however, symptomatic cysts may cause pain and may need surgery interventions. Here, we performed a perspective study to compare the clinical efficacy of different surgical approaches, including traditional open excision and advanced arthroscopic treatment. METHODS: A total of 76 patients with popliteal cysts were assigned into three groups by a randomized complete block design. Group A included 32 patients (15 males and 17 females, age 55.3 ± 9.8 years) who received arthroscopic internal drainage of the cysts. Group B included 19 patients (9 males and 10 females, age 55.4 ± 7.6 years) who received open excision after arthroscopic treatment. Group C included 25 patients (11 males and 14 females, age 54.2 ± 8.5 years) who received open excision. All patients were followed up for an average of 13.7 ± 2.4 months. The following parameters were compared: the time of surgery, during surgery, the length of incision, the incision healing rate, the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, the hospitalization time, the rate of recovery to level 0-1 cysts, the recurrence rate, and the Lysholm score. RESULTS: Group A exhibited significant better outcomes compared to groups B and C in the length of incision (1.6 ± 0.1 cm), the incision healing rate (100%), the postoperative VAS score (2.7 ± 1.2), the hospitalization time (7.8 ± 2.8 days), and the Lysholm score at the last follow-up (85.8 ± 5.2). The recurrence rate is significantly lower in groups A (3.1%) and B (5.2%) than group C (40%) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Arthroscopic treatment for popliteal cysts exhibited better clinical outcomes with minimal invasion and can be recommended for future clinical interventions.

Telithromycin versus clarithromycin for the treatment of community-acquired respiratory tract infections: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of bacterial resistance to commonly used antibiotics, such as macrolides, is complicating the management of respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Telithromycin, a ketolide antimicrobial structurally related to macrolides, is approved for the treatment of community-acquired RTIs, and shows lower pathogen resistance rates. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of telithromycin with clarithromycin, a macrolide routinely used as therapy for RTIs. METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis of relevant randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) identified in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI and VIP databases. The primary efficacy outcome was clinical treatment success assessed at the test-of-cure time in the per-protocol population, and the primary safety outcome was drug related adverse effects. RESULTS: Seven RCTs, involving 2845 patients with RTIs, were included in the meta-analysis. Oral telithromycin and clarithromycin showed a similar clinical treatment success in modified intention to treat and per-protocol population (cure and improvement) (odds ratios (ORs): 0.84, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.64 - 1.11 and OR: 1.14, 95%CI: 0.71 - 1.85, respectively). Similar findings were obtained for secondary efficacy outcomes: clinical treatment success at a late post-therapy visit (OR: 0.92, 95%CI: 0.57 - 1.48) and microbiological treatment success at the test-of-cure time (OR: 1.14; 95%CI: 0.71 - 1.85). The safety outcome analysis indicated telithromycin had a similar risk of drug-related adverse effect and serious adverse effect with clarithromycin. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that oral telithromycin and clarithromycin have similar treatment efficacy and adverse effect. The advantages of lower antimicrobial resistance rates, once-daily short-duration dosing and reported lower health-care costs make oral telithromycin a useful option for the empiric management of mild-to-moderate RTIs.