Arsenate Anion-π Interactions on Amine-Modified Polydivinylbenzene in Aqueous Systems: Experimental and Theoretical Investigation.

Anion-π interactions aiding in the adsorption of anions in the solution phase, though challenging to quantify, have attracted a lot of attention in supramolecular chemistry. We present the design of a polymer adsorbent that quantifies the adsorption of arsenate ions experimentally by optimizing anion-π interactions in a purely aqueous system and use density functional theory to compare these results with theoretical data. Arsenate anions are removed from water by amine-functionalized polydivinylbenzene using the comonomer 1-vinyl-1,2,4-triazole, which was cross-linked with divinylbenzene via radical polymerization in a hydrothermal procedure. The amine-functionalized polydivinylbenzene successfully removed arsenate anions from water with a capacity of 46 mg g-1, a 70% increase compared to the nonfunctionalized polydivinylbenzene (27 mg g-1) capacity under the same conditions. Adsorption is best described by the Sips isotherm model with a correlation coefficient R2 factor of 0.99, indicating that adsorption sites are homogeneous, and adsorption occurred by forming a monolayer. Kinetic studies indicated that adsorption is second order in the amine-functionalized polydivinylbenzene. Computational studies using density functional theory showed that the 1-vinyl-1,2,4-triazole comonomer improved the thermodynamic stability of the anionic-π interactions of polydivinylbenzene with arsenate anions. Electrostatic interactions dominate the mechanism of adsorption in polydivinylbenzene compared to the anion-induced interactions that dominate adsorption in amine-functionalized polydivinylbenzene.

Insufficiency of quality of life as the treatment endpoint for balloon pulmonary angioplasty in inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Background and Objectives: The ability of a quality of life (QoL) to guide balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) among patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) has not been fully investigated. This study explored the relationship between QoL scores and hemodynamics in CTEPH patients after BPA and examined whether QoL could be applied as a treatment endpoint. Materials and Methods: This cohort study included patients with inoperable CTEPH who had undergone at least four sessions of BPA. The patients' demographic and clinical data as well as hemodynamic parameters and scores from the RAND 36-item short-form QoL questionnaire were recorded and compared before and after BPA. Results: After BPA treatments, clinical characteristics, hemodynamic parameters, as well as QoL score improved significantly. A physical component summary (PCS) score of 35 or 46 can be used as the cutoff value for predicting better World Health Organization functional classification (WHO FC). Patients who had a higher PCS would have longer 6-min walk distance (6MWD), lower pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), and better cardiac output (CO) both before and after BPA. However, 19 patients (55.9%) with a higher PCS score after BPA did not achieve the goal of mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) ≤30 mmHg. During the follow-up period, a significant reduction of PVR was observed, but the PCS score improved a little. Conclusions: QoL is a useful tool for assessing the exercise endurance of patients with inoperable CTEPH treated with BPA, but is insufficient to serve as a treatment endpoint for BPA.

Gut microbiota and cognitive performance: A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization.

PURPOSE: Previous studies have suggested a potential association between gut microbiota and neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, the causal relationship between gut microbiota and cognitive performance remains uncertain. METHODS: A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study used SNPs linked to gut microbiota (n = 18,340) and cognitive performance (n = 257,841) from recent GWAS data. Inverse-variance weighted (IVW), MR Egger, weighted median, simple mode, and weighted mode were employed. Heterogeneity was assessed via Cochran's Q test for IVW. Results were shown with funnel plots. Outliers were detected through leave-one-out method. MR-PRESSO and MR-Egger intercept tests were conducted to address horizontal pleiotropy influence. LIMITATIONS: Limited to European populations, generic level, and potential confounding factors. RESULTS: IVW analysis revealed detrimental effects on cognitive perfmance associated with the presence of genus Blautia (P = 0.013, 0.966[0.940-0.993]), Catenibacterium (P = 0.035, 0.977[0.956-0.998]), Oxalobacter (P = 0.043, 0.979[0.960-0.999]). Roseburia (P < 0.001, 0.935[0.906-0.965]), in particular, remained strongly negatively associated with cognitive performance after Bonferroni correction. Conversely, families including Bacteroidaceae (P = 0.043, 1.040[1.001-1.081]), Rikenellaceae (P = 0.047, 1.026[1.000-1.053]), along with genera including Paraprevotella (P = 0.044, 1.020[1.001-1.039]), Ruminococcus torques group (P = 0.016, 1.062[1.011-1.115]), Bacteroides (P = 0.043, 1.040[1.001-1.081]), Dialister (P = 0.027, 1.039[1.004-1.074]), Paraprevotella (P = 0.044, 1.020[1.001-1.039]) and Ruminococcaceae UCG003 (P = 0.007, 1.040[1.011-1.070]) had a protective effect on cognitive performance. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that interventions targeting specific gut microbiota may offer a promising avenue for improving cognitive function in diseased populations. The practical application of these findings has the potential to enhance cognitive performance, thereby improving overall quality of life.

Low temperature exerts protective effects by inhibiting mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway following pressure injury to rat muscle / A baixa temperatura exerce efeitos protetores ao inibir a via de apoptose mediada por mitocôndrias após lesão por pressão no músculo de rato / La baja temperatura ejerce efectos protectores al inhibir la vía de apoptosis mediada por mitocondrias después de una lesión por presión en el músculo de la rata

ABSTRACT Objective: We aimed to determine the effect of different low-temperature range interventions at different time-points in a rat model of pressure injury (PI) produced by Ischemia/Reperfusion (I/R) injury. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to blank control, injury control, and temperature intervention groups. Rats in the injury control and temperature intervention groups (involving exposure to different temperature range at different time-points) were subjected to three cycles of I/R injury with 2-h ischemia and 0.5-h reperfusion to induce PI. Results: The muscle tissues exhibited degenerative changes after compression. Low temperature intervention of 16-18°C in the ischemia period resulted in the lowest degree of tissue damage and significantly decreased levels of Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), caspase-9, and caspase-3. Moreover, it resulted in the highest expression level of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and lowest expression levels of Bax, caspase-9, and caspase-3 in muscle tissues among all intervention groups. Conclusion: Low-temperature intervention at 16-18°C during the ischemia period showed optimal effects on the expressions of apoptotic factors during the development of PI with I/R-induced tissue damage.

RESUMO Objetivo: Nosso objetivo foi determinar o efeito de diferentes intervenções na faixa de baixa temperatura em diferentes pontos do tempo em um modelo de lesão por pressão (IP) de rato produzida por lesão de isquemia/reperfusão (I/R). Métodos: Ratos Sprague-Dawley foram aleatoriamente designados para grupos de controle em branco, controle de lesão e intervenção por temperatura. Ratos nos grupos de controle de lesão e intervenção de temperatura (envolvendo exposição a diferentes faixas de temperatura em diferentes momentos) foram submetidos a três ciclos de lesão de I/R com isquemia de 2 h e reperfusão de 0,5 h para induzir IP. Resultados: Os tecidos musculares exibiram alterações degenerativas após a compressão. A intervenção em baixa temperatura de 16-18°C no período de isquemia resultou no menor grau de dano ao tecido e diminuiu significativamente os níveis de proteína X associada a Bcl-2 (Bax), caspase-9 e caspase-3. Além disso, resultou no nível de expressão mais alto de linfoma de células B 2 (Bcl-2) e níveis de expressão mais baixos de Bax, caspase-9 e caspase-3 em tecidos musculares entre todos os grupos de intervenção. Conclusão: A intervenção em baixa temperatura de 16-18°C durante o período de isquemia mostrou efeitos ótimos nas expressões de fatores apoptóticos durante o desenvolvimento de IP com dano tecidual induzido por I/R.

RESUMEN Objetivo: Nuestro objetivo fue determinar el efecto de diferentes intervenciones de rango de temperatura baja en diferentes puntos de tiempo en un modelo de rata de lesión por presión (IP) producida por lesión por isquemia/reperfusión (I/R). Métodos: Se asignaron aleatoriamente ratas Sprague-Dawley a grupos de control en blanco, control de lesiones e intervención de temperatura. Las ratas en los grupos de control de lesiones e intervención de temperatura (que implican exposición a diferentes rangos de temperatura en diferentes puntos de tiempo) se sometieron a tres ciclos de lesión I/R con isquemia de 2 h y reperfusión de 0,5 h para inducir IP. Resultados: Los tejidos musculares presentaron cambios degenerativos después de la compresión. La intervención a baja temperatura de 16-18°C en el período de isquemia resultó en el grado más bajo de daño tisular y niveles significativamente reducidos de proteína X asociada a Bcl-2 (Bax), caspasa-9 y caspasa-3. Además, dio como resultado el nivel de expresión más alto de linfoma de células B 2 (Bcl-2) y los niveles de expresión más bajos de Bax, caspasa-9 y caspasa-3 en los tejidos musculares entre todos los grupos de intervención. Conclusión: La intervención a baja temperatura a 16-18°C durante el período de isquemia mostró efectos óptimos sobre la expresión de factores apoptóticos durante el desarrollo de IP con daño tisular inducido por I/R.

Study on anti-inflammatory effect of taurolithocholic acid based on network pharmacology and its mechanism / 中国药理学通报

Aim To explore the anti-inflammatory effect of taurolithocholic acid (TLCA) through network pharmacology-based analyses, to verify with in vitro macrophage study and to reveal the possible mechanisms. Methods The potential targets of TLCA were acquired from public database, and then the protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks against inflammation were constructed and visualized by using Cytoscape. Gene ontology (GO) analyses and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment were performed. The binding activity of TLCA and its target (TGR5) was evaluated through molecular docking analysis. Lastly, the results of the network analysis were confirmed by lipopolysaccharide and interferon-γ induced RAW264.7 cells. Results There were 87 anti-inflammatory potential targets were screened. GO analysis revealed gene functions were mainly involved in regulation of inflammatory response, membrane raft and protein tyrosine kinase. The results of KEGG pathway analysis suggested that PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, human cytomegalovirus infection might be the critical pathways of TLCA against inflammation. The results of in vitro experiments showed that TLCA decreased the LPS and IFN-γ induced inflammatory response in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, the expression of TGR5 protein increased after TLCA treatment. Conclusions The potential therapeutic targets of TLCA against inflammation are revealed through network pharmacology analysis. Our results indicate that TLCA might regulate key inflammatory markers through the membrane receptor TGR5.

The protective effect of hesperidin on injury induced by glucolipotoxicity in islet beta cells / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the protective effect of hesperidin (HSD) on the injury of mouse pancreatic beta cells induced by high glucose and fatty acid and the underlying mechanism. Methods MIN6 cells were treated with high glucose and fatty acid after pretreatment of HSD. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and Hoechst 33258 fluorescence staining were used to determine the proliferation and apoptosis of MIN6 cells. Western blot was used to detect the expressions of apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2 and Bax. RT-PCR was used to detect the expressions of inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). ELISA was used to test the insulin secretion of pancreatic islets. Results High glucose and fatty acid decreased the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax, increased the expression of inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-1β and inhibited the insulin secretion of mouse pancreatic islets. After pretreatment of HSD, the cell viability and Bcl-2/Bax ratio of MIN6 increased, the expressions of inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-1β decreased, and the insulin secretion of mouse pancreatic islets increased. Conclusions HSD could resist the apoptosis of mouse pancreatic islet B cell line MIN6 induced by high fat and high glucose, reduce the secretion of inflammatory factors and improve the insulin secretion of pancreatic islets.