Preparation of Ropivacaine Encapsulated by Zeolite Imidazole Framework Microspheres as Sustained-Release System and Efficacy Evaluation.

The management of persistent postoperative pain still remains a clinical challenge currently. Although ropivacaine (RVC) is widely used for postoperative analgesia as a local anesthetic, the short half-life makes it difficult to achieve the desired duration of analgesia. Herein, a RVC sustained-release microspheres encapsulated by zeolite imidazole framework-8 (RVC@ZIF-8) was synthesized for the first time, which prolonged the sustained-release of RVC and decreased the resulting drug toxicity. RVC can continuously release in vitro for at least 96 h with high drug loading of 30.6 % and RVC@ZIF-8 had excellent biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity. In sciatic nerve block model, the sensory block time of RVC@ZIF-8 was significantly prolonged compared with RVC, achieving more than 72 h post injection and no inflammation or lesion were found. Based on high drug loading, ideal sustained-release and superior biological safety, RVC@ZIF-8 will be a novel delivery material for local anesthetic with potential application.

UV-Blocking and Light-Responsive Poly (ϵ-Caprolactone)/ZIF-8 Multifunctional Composite Films for Efficient Antibacterial Activities.

Antibacterial photodynamic therapy (APDT) has received considerable attention owing to its superiority. ZIF-8 was used to address the poor stability of the photosensitizer Rose Bengal (RB) encapsulation to synthesize RB@ZIF-8 NPs, which were doped into a composite film with poly (ϵ-caprolactone) (PCL) and polyvinyl alcohol-quaternary ammonium chitosan (PVA-QCS) as substrates to form composite films (PQZ). The composite films exhibited excellent photodynamic sterilization and good resistance to bacterial adhesion. The tensile strength of the film increased to 43.4 MPa, which was approximately 1.8 times that of the PCL film. With the addition of SiO2 and RB@ZIF-8 NPs, the film exhibited water repellency and UV-blocking properties. RAW264.7 cells were selected using the MTT method to confirm that the composite films had excellent biocompatibility and had no significant inhibitory effect on cell growth and reproduction. PQZ multifunctional composite films show potential as novel APDT antimicrobial materials for food packaging.

[Effects of total ginsenosides from Panax ginseng stems and leaves on gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids metabolism in acute lung injury mice].

This study aimed to investigate the biological effects and underlying mechanisms of the total ginsenosides from Panax ginseng stems and leaves on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced acute lung injury(ALI) in mice. Sixty male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a control group, a model group, the total ginsenosides from P. ginseng stems and leaves normal administration group(61.65 mg·kg~(-1)), and low-, medium-, and high-dose total ginsenosides from P. ginseng stems and leaves groups(15.412 5, 30.825, and 61.65 mg·kg~(-1)). Mice were administered for seven continuous days before modeling. Twenty-four hours after modeling, mice were sacrificed to obtain lung tissues and calculate lung wet/dry ratio. The number of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) was detected. The levels of interleukin-1ß(IL-1ß), interleukin-6(IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) in BALF were detected. The mRNA expression levels of IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α, and the levels of myeloperoxidase(MPO), glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase(SOD), and malondialdehyde(MDA) in lung tissues were determined. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining was used to observe the pathological changes in lung tissues. The gut microbiota was detected by 16S rRNA sequencing, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS) was applied to detect the content of short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs) in se-rum. The results showed that the total ginsenosides from P. ginseng stems and leaves could reduce lung index, lung wet/dry ratio, and lung damage in LPS-induced ALI mice, decrease the number of inflammatory cells and levels of inflammatory factors in BALF, inhibit the mRNA expression levels of inflammatory factors and levels of MPO and MDA in lung tissues, and potentiate the activity of GSH-Px and SOD in lung tissues. Furthermore, they could also reverse the gut microbiota disorder, restore the diversity of gut microbiota, increase the relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae and Muribaculaceae, decrease the relative abundance of Prevotellaceae, and enhance the content of SCFAs(acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid) in serum. This study suggested that the total ginsenosides from P. ginseng stems and leaves could improve lung edema, inflammatory response, and oxidative stress in ALI mice by regulating gut microbiota and SCFAs metabolism.

Clinicopathological features and lymph node metastasis risk in early gastric cancer with WHO criteria in China: 304 cases analysis.

AIMS: The aim of this research was to identify the clinicopathological characteristics of early gastric cancer (EGC) based on the WHO criteria, and to analyze predictors for lymph node metastasis (LNM) in EGC in a Chinese study population. METHODS: We retrospectively collected data of 304 Chinese EGC patients, including 265 patients undergoing radical gastrectomy and 39 patients undergoing endoscopic resection. Histological features were accessed by three experienced pathologists. Univariate analysis and multivariate analysis were used to identify the correlation between clinicopathological features and LNM. RESULTS: Among the 304 cases with EGC, the rate of well differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma was 11.2%, significantly lower than that of Japanese and South Korean, which was 24.8% and 19.9% respectively (p<0.001 and p = 0.006), but similar to that of a Western result, which was 11.9% (p = 0.860). Among the 265 patients who underwent gastrectomy, 18.5% of the patients had LNM. Univariate analysis showed that macroscopic type, differentiation degree, invasion depth, infiltration pattern (INF), lymphovascular invasion and ulceration were related to LNM. Multivariate analysis revealed that lymphovascular invasion (p < 0.001, OR = 6.549), ulceration (p = 0.035, OR = 2.527) and INF c (p = 0.042, OR = 3.424) were the independent risk factors of LNM in EGC. CONCLUSIONS: The pathological diagnosis standard of well differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma in China significantly differs from that in Japan and South Korea, but is similar to western countries. LNM is more likely to occur in EGCs with lymphovascular invasion, ulceration and INF c.

Analysis of long-term spatio-temporal changes of plateau urban wetland reveals the response mechanisms of climate and human activities: A case study from Dianchi Lake Basin 1993-2020.

Wetlands serve many functions, including conserving water, providing habitats for animals and plants, and regulating climate change. Their unique ecological effects on the natural environment are indispensable in the whole ecosystem. Dianchi Lake Basin is located in Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, China, and mainly in Kunming. It is a typical plateau urban wetland area. Based on spatio-temporal hotspot mining, spatio-temporal geographically weighted regression, and adaptive multidimensional grey prediction, we conducted correlation analyses of the wetland changes in Dianchi Lake Basin from 1993 to 2020 under the influence of human activities and natural conditions. The results show that (1) the active wetland change zone in Dianchi Lake Basin is mainly located around Dianchi Lake, and (2) the wetlands in some areas on the north and south of Dianchi Lake declined in the early 21st century, but under the protection policy in recent years, the wetlands in these areas gradually recovered. Meanwhile, the wetlands in most areas around Dianchi Lake showed a significant growth trend from 2018 to 2020. The results suggest that the wetland change in Dianchi Lake Basin is mainly related to the urbanization of Kunming, and it can be divided into five regions (strong negative correlation, weak negative correlation, weak correlation, weak positive correlation, and strong positive correlation) according to the different correlation of human activity intensity, among which the main factors affected by nature are different, but they are all related to temperature. This study shows that, although wetlands in plateau cities can be properly restored under proper protection, wetland protection should be kept in step with the development of plateau cities to support sustainable urban development and carbon neutrality.

Millennial changes and cooling trends in land surface warm-season temperatures during the Holocene.

The scarcity of proxies and calibration models for quantitatively reconstructing millennial timescale seasonal temperature tremendously constraints our understanding of the Holocene thermal variation and its driven mechanisms. Here, we established two global warm-season temperature models by applying deep learning neural network analysis to the branched tetraether membrane lipids originating from surface soil and lacustrine sediment bacteria. We utilized these optimal models in global well-dated lacustrine, peatland, and loess profiles covering the Holocene. All reconstructions of warm-season temperatures, consistent with climate model simulations, indicate cooling trends since the early Holocene, primarily induced by decreased solar radiation in the Northern Hemisphere due to the precession peak at the early. We further demonstrated that the membrane lipids can effectively enhance the future millennial seasonal temperature research, including winter temperatures, without being restricted by geographical location and sedimentary carrier.

Exploring the Mechanism of Bergamot Essential Oil against Asthma Based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Verification.

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease. Bergamot essential oil (BEO) is extracted from the bergamot peel, which is widely used as a medicinal and food plant in China. Modern pharmacological studies have confirmed that BEO has anti-inflammatory properties, suggesting potential in treating asthma. First, the main active ingredients of BEO were detected and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Network pharmacology methods were used to explore the possible core targets and main pathways of BEO in asthma treatment. Then ovalbumin (OVA)-induced in vivo and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced in vitro models were established to investigate the antiasthmatic effects of BEO. BEO showed a good antiasthmatic effect by improving lung inflammation and inhibiting collagen deposition. Then, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were used to explore the possible mechanism of BEO in asthma treatment. Furthermore, experimental verification showed that BEO could suppress the release of inflammatory factors in vitro and inhibit the activation of MAPK and JAK-STAT signaling pathways. This study demonstrated the anti-inflammatory effects of BEO against asthma. Moreover, it supplies a theoretical basis for the clinical application of BEO.

Decline in stability of forest productivity in the tropics as determined by canopy water content.

The impacts of low soil moisture (SM) and high vapour pressure deficit (VPD) on tree's photosynthesis and productivity are ultimately realized by changing water content in the canopy leaves. In this study, variations in canopy water content (CWC) that can be detected from microwave remotely sensed vegetation optical depth (VOD) have been proposed as a promising measure of vegetation water status, and we first reported that the regulation of CWC on productivity stability is universally applicable for global forests. Results of structural equation model (SEM) also confirmed the significant negative effect of CWC on coefficient of variation (CV) of productivity, indicating that the decrease in CWC could inevitably induce the instability of forest productivity under climate change. The most significant decrease (p < 0.01) of CWC is observed primarily in evergreen broadleaf forest in the tropics, implying an increasing instability of the most important carbon sink in terrestrial ecosystem.

Systematic Analysis Strategy Based on Network Pharmacology to Investigate the Potential Mechanism of Fritillaria thunbergii Miq. against Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a long-term, distressing, and age-related interstitial lung disease characterized by a complicated etiology and irreversible progression. Fritillaria thunbergii Miq. (Zhe Beimu, ZBM) is frequently used for its heat-clearing and phlegm-resolving properties in herbal compounds for the treatment of IPF. However, the specific mechanisms underlying the effects of ZBM against IPF have not yet been reported. In this study, we applied a systematic analysis strategy based on network pharmacology to explore the probable core targets and major pathways of ZBM against IPF. In addition, molecular docking simulation and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were performed to preliminarily investigate the possible mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of ZBM on IPF. We collected a total of 86 components of ZBM and used network pharmacology analysis to screen nine presumptive targets of ZBM against IPF. The molecular-docking results indicated that the components of ZBM exhibited good binding activity with presumptive targets. The qRT-PCR results also suggested that ZBM may partly alleviate IPF by regulating the expression of presumptive targets. This study laid the foundation for further clinical applications of ZBM and the development of IPF-related therapeutic products.

A modified cyanobacteria prediction model based on cellular automata model using N and P concentration reverse data: a case study in Taihu Lake.

The problem of algal bloom caused by eutrophication has attracted global attention. Many scholars have studied the problem associated with algae bloom, but few have carried out dynamic monitoring, instead focusing on the formation mechanism of cyanobacteria. For our study of the Taihu Lake in China, we used Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Landsat remote sensing image data from 2017 to establish a prediction model. First, we used MODIS data to retrieve the concentration of N, P, and chlorophyll a in water. Then, we applied the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model to the inversion results to construct the diffusion potential index. Finally, we used C# to compile the cellular automata (CA) model. We found that the distribution of cyanobacteria predicted by our method was consistent with the algal bloom situation of Taihu Lake in 2017. The results showed that the method effectively predicts the dynamic transfer of cyanobacteria from outbreak to diffusion in a short period of time, which can help decision-makers monitor lake health.

pH-responsive Ag-Phy@ZIF-8 nanoparticles modified by hyaluronate for efficient synergistic bacteria disinfection.

Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) is a type of Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which shows promising application in the field of bacterial infection, owing to its excellent biocompatibility. Here, we report the encapsulation of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in ZIF-8, accompanied with embedding of physcion (Phy) to obtain Ag-Phy@ZIF-8 with efficient and intelligent synergistic antimicrobial capabilities. Due to the micro-acidic environment around the bacteria, the release of silver and Phy shows a controlled released. Further, the Ag-Phy@ZIF-8 is modified by hyaluronate (HA), denoted as Ag-Phy@ZIF-8@HA, which has a strong inhibitory effect on the growth of both E. coli (99.1%) and S. aureus (99.5%), with no impacting on cell growth, showing good biocompatibility. Thus, these pH-responsive biocomposites have the potential application on smart wound excipients for bacterial infections.