Characteristics of lipid metabolism after treatment of colon cancer mice with American ginseng vesicles.

INTRODUCTION: Lipid molecules are present in tumours and play an important role in the anti-inflammatory response as well as in antiviral protection. Changes in the type and location of lipids in the intestine following exposure to environmental stressors play an important role in several disorders, including ulcerative colitis (UC), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and colorectal cancer. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this work is to provide a new theoretical basis for tumour initiation and development by accurately measuring the spatial distribution of lipids and metabolites in intestinal tissue. Spatial metabolomics allows the detection of samples with minimal sample volume by label-free imaging of complex samples in their original state. The distribution of lipid molecules in tumours has not been reported, although the distribution of lipid molecules in intestinal tissue has been reported in the literature. METHODS: The range of lipid profiles in colon cancer mouse tumour tissue was compiled using a spatial metabolomics: lipid extraction method. The changes in lipid distribution in two regions after oral administration of American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) vesicles were also compared. Tumour tissue samples were extracted with 80% methanol-20% formic acid in water. RESULTS: The resulting spatial metabolic profile allowed the identification of seven lipid classes in mouse tumours. The distribution of fibre tissue cells was 23.2% higher than tumour tissue cells, with the exception of the fatty acid (FA) species.

Nanocubic cobalt-containing Prussian blue analogue-derived carbon-coated CoFe alloy nanoparticles for noninvasive uric acid sensing.

This work describes an electrochemical sensor for the fast noninvasive detection of uric acid (UA) in saliva. The sensing material was based on a cobalt-containing Prussian blue analogue (Na2-xCo[Fe(CN)6]1-y, PCF). By optimizing the ratio of Co and Fe as 1.5 : 1 in PCF (PCF1.5,0), particles with a regular nanocubic morphology were formed. The calcination of PCF1.5,0 produced a carbon-coated CoFe alloy (CCF1.5), which possessed abundant defects and achieved an excellent electrochemical performance. Subsequently, CCF1.5 was modified on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) to fabricate the electrochemical sensor, CCF1.5/SPCE, which showed a sensitive and selective response toward salivary UA owing to its good conductivity, sufficient surface active sites and efficient catalytic activity. The determination of UA in artificial saliva achieved the wide linear range of 40 nM-30 µM and the low limit of detection (LOD) of 15.3 nM (3σ/s of 3). The performances of the sensor including its reproducibility, stability and selectivity were estimated to be satisfactory. The content of UA in human saliva was determined and the recovery was in the range of 98-107% and the total RSD was 4.14%. The results confirmed the reliability of CCF1.5/SPCE for application in noninvasive detection.

An innovative method based on Gaussian cloud distribution and sample information richness for eutrophication assessment of Yangtze's lakes and reservoirs under uncertainty.

The precise assessment of a water body's eutrophication status is essential for making informed decisions in water environment management. However, conventional approaches frequently fail to consider the randomness, fuzziness, and inherent hidden information of water quality indicators. These would result in an unreliable assessment. An enhanced method was proposed for the eutrophication assessment under uncertainty in this study. The multi-dimension gaussian cloud distribution was introduced to capture the randomness and fuzziness. The Shannon entropy based on various sample size and trophic levels was proposed to maximize valuable information hidden in the datasets. Twenty-seven significant lakes and reservoirs located in the Yangtze River Basin were selected to demonstrate the proposed method. The sensitivity and consistency were used to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed method. Results indicate that the proposed method has the capability to effectively assess the eutrophication status of lakes and reservoirs under uncertainty and that it has a better sensitivity since it can identify more than 33-50% trophic levels compared to the traditional methods. Further scenario experiments analysis revealed that the sample information richness, i.e., sample size and the number of trophic levels is of great significance to the accuracy/robustness of the method. Moreover, a sample size of 60 can offer the most favorable balance between accuracy/robustness and the monitoring expenses. These findings are crucial to optimizing the eutrophication assessment.

Association of tea and its extracts with colorectal adenomas: meta-analysis and systematic review.

Background: There are many studies on the association of tea and its extracts with colorectal adenomas, but the results have varied. The study aims to investigate the effect of tea and its extracts on colorectal adenomas using meta analysis and systematic review. Methods: Literature was obtained through PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase and Chinese BioMedical Literature Service System since the establishment of the database until April 31, 2023. Search terms include adenomas, polyps, colorectal, rectal, rectum, tea, epigallocatechin, drinking and beverages. Meta-regression analysis was used to infer the source of heterogeneity. Heterogeneity was assessed using I2 statistics and Q test. The effect measures were odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Stata17.0 software was used for data processing. Results: The findings indicated that study design (t = 0.78, P = 0.454), types of tea intake (t = 1.35, P = 0.205), occurrences (t = -0.19, P = 0.852), regions (t = 1.13, P = 0.281) and grades of adenomas (t = 0.06, P = 0.952) were statistical homogeneity. Tea and its extracts were negatively correlated with the risk of colorectal adenomas (OR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.66-0.98). No publication bias was found in this study (t = -0.22, P = 0.828) and the results are robust. Conclusion: This study suggests that tea and its extracts have a certain protective effect on colorectal adenomas, which provides scientific evidence for preventive strategies for colorectal adenomas. As for the causal relationship between tea and its extracts on colorectal adenomas, further prospective studies are needed.

The facile activation of graphite for the improved determination of dopamine, rutin and acetamidophenol.

A glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was modified with graphite powder (G/GCE), and then treated with a solution of sodium peroxide for several minutes to prepare an oxidized G/GCE (OG/GCE). The OG/GCE has prominently improved responses toward dopamine (DA), rutin (RT) and acetamidophenol (APAP), of which the anodic peak current was increased by 2.4, 4.0 and 2.6 fold compared with that obtained using the G/GCE. The redox peaks of DA, RT and APAP on the OG/GCE could be separated sufficiently. The corresponding redox processes were confirmed as diffusion-controlled and parameters such as the charge transfer coefficients (α), saturating adsorption capacity (Γ*) and catalytic rate constant (kcat) were estimated. In individual detection, the linear ranges for DA, RT and APAP were 10 nM-10 µM, 1.00 nM-150 nM and 20 nM-30 µM, respectively, and the LODs for DA, RT and APAP were estimated as 6.23 nM, 0.36 nM and 13.1 nM with 3σ/S, respectively. The contents of RT and APAP in drugs were determined and agreed with the labeled contents. The recoveries of DA in serum and sweat were in the range of 91-107%, indicating that the determination results achieved by the OG/GCE are reliable. The practical use of the method was verified with a graphite-modified screen-printed carbon electrode (G/SPCE), which was also activated by Na2O2 to prepare OG/SPCE. The recovery of DA in sweat achieved using the OG/SPCE was 91.26%.

In situ electrodeposition of bismuth oxide nanowires @MWNT on the carbon fiber microelectrode for the sensitively electrochemical detection of folic acid.

A microminiaturized electrochemical device, BiO@CNW/CFE was fabricated based on the in situ co-electrodeposition of bismuth oxide nanowires (BiNWs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) on the surface of carbon fiber electrode (CFE). The nanostructure of BiNWs could bind MWNTs on the surface of CFE during the precipitation of bismuth at the potential of -1.1 V. The vimineous nanostructure of BiO@CNW improved the surface area and electrochemical activity of the microelectrode. With the low background noise, folic acid (FA) can be detected sensitively by BiO@CNW/CFE based on the electrochemical reduction via the method of square wave voltammetry. The linear range of FA in sodium acetate-acetic acid buffer was achieved in the range of 5.00 nM-200 nM, the detection limit was estimated to be 0.63 nM. The recoveries of FA in human serum and artificial cerebral spinal fluid were between 99% and 103%, which indicates BiO@CNW/CFE was a reliable sensor for the detection of FA in biological samples.

Land use, hydrology, and climate influence water quality of China's largest river.

Influences of multiple environmental factors on water quality patterns is less studied in large rivers. Landscape analysis, multiple statistical methods, and the water quality index (WQI) were used to detect water quality patterns and influencing factors in China's largest river, the Yangtze River. Compared with the dry season, the wet season had significantly higher total phosphorus (TP), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), and turbidity (TUR). The WQI indicated "Moderate" and "Good" water quality in the wet and dry seasons, respectively. Compared with other sites, the upper reach sites that immediately downstream of the Three Gorges Dam had lower TP, TN, TSS and TUR in both seasons, and had lower and higher water temperature in the wet and dry seasons, respectively. Water quality patterns were mainly driven by heterogeneity in land use (i.e., wetland, cropland, and urban land), hydrology (i.e., water flow, water level), and climate (i.e., rainfall, air temperature). Water quality in the wet season was primarily driven by land use while the joint effect of land use and hydrology primarily drove in the dry season. Decision-makers and regulators of large river basin management may need to develop programs that consider influences from both human and natural drivers for water quality conservation.

Estimation of Unintended Treated Wastewater Contributions to Streams in the Yangtze River Basin and the Potential Human Health and Ecological Risk Analysis.

"Clean water and sanitation" is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. One primary objective of wastewater treatment is to remove contaminants such as pathogens, nutrient, and organic matter from wastewater, while not all contaminants could be removed effectively. Wastewater treatment plants would inevitably represent concentrated point sources of residual contaminant loadings into surface waters. This study focuses on the populated Yangtze River Basin where emerging contaminants are frequently detected in the rivers in the recent years. A python-based ArcGIS model is developed to estimate the contributions of effluent discharges in water supply sources and quantify fate and environmental risks of human-derived contaminants in the river network. We find that one-third of the river networks are potentially influenced by the effluents through local or upstream inputs. Average fraction of unintended wastewater reuse in water supply intakes is estimated to be lower than 3% under the average flow scenario with an average traveling time of 0.05 day from the nearest effluent input site to water supply intakes. However, under low flow scenario, the percentage of effluent discharge would increase largely, leading to substantial increases in human health and ecological risks. This study provides a systematic investigation to understand extents of impacts of effluent inputs in river networks as well as identify the opportunities to improve the water management in the densely populated regions.

Lithium cobalt phosphate electrode for the simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid, dopamine, and serum uric acid by differential pulse voltammetry.

Lithium cobalt phosphate (LCP) was prepared and modified on the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to fabricate the electrochemical sensor (LCP/GCE) for the simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA), and serum uric acid (UA). The homogenous incorporation of carbon improved the conductivity of LCP. Benefiting from the small particle size distribution, LCP/GCE has a large active surface and responds to AA, DA, and UA sensitively and rapidly. For the simultaneous detection with differential pulse voltammetry the anodic peaks of AA, DA, and UA were well-separated and appeared at ~0 V, ~0.19 V, and ~ 0.33 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), respectively. The linear responses toward AA, DA, and UA were in the range 10 µM-8.0 mM, 10 nM-10 µM, and 0.020 µM-25 µM; the detection limits were estimated to be 8.10 µM, 7.50 nM, and 22.7 nM (S/N = 3), respectively. The excellent selectivity and reproducibility of LCP/GCE enable serum UA to be detected without the interference of AA and DA. The recoveries of DA and AA in the serum sample were in the range 95 to 111%. The results indicate that LCP has the potential to be developed as the sensing devices to be applied to in vitro diagnosis. The lithium-ion battery cathodic material, LCP with the excellent adsorption and catalytic behavior, was utilized to fabricate the electrochemical sensor for the sensitive and simultaneous detection of AA, DA, and UA, which achieved the low detection limits and the wide concentration ranges. LCP/GCE can be used for the quantitative detection of serum UA without the interference of DA and AA. In addition, the recoveries of DA and AA in human serum were satisfactory, which illustrate the reliability of LCP/GCE to be applied to in vitro diagnosis.

Comparison of Toric Intraocular Lens Alignment Between Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Capsular Marking and Manual Corneal Marking.

PURPOSE: To compare toric intraocular lens (IOL) alignment between femtosecond laser-assisted capsular marking and manual corneal marking. METHODS: This study prospectively included 72 consecutive eyes (from 72 patients) with cataract and anterior corneal astigmatism of 1.00 diopter (D) or greater that underwent femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery with implantation of a toric IOL. These eyes were randomly categorized into two groups based on the IOL alignment method. The femtosecond laser capsular marking group included 36 eyes with capsular markers using the latest femtosecond laser platform. The manual marking group included 36 eyes with manual corneal markers. The preservation of the markers was assessed. Visual acuity and refractive outcomes, as well as deviation from the target axis, were evaluated. RESULTS: In the femtosecond laser capsular marking group, all capsular markers were retained for at least 3 months. In the manual marking group, 22.2% of the corneal markers disappeared within 1 month and all markers disappeared within 3 months. At 1 month postoperatively, the mean magnitudes of refractive astigmatism were -0.41 ± 0.26 and -0.45 ± 0.31 D (P = .81), and the uncorrected distance visual acuities were 0.07 ± 0.06 and 0.07 ± 0.05 logMAR (P = .56) in the femtosecond laser capsular marking and manual marking groups, respectively. The misalignment of the toric IOL within 1 hour postoperatively was 1.5° ± 1.4° in the femtosecond laser capsular marking group and 4.4° ± 2.1° in the manual marking group (P < .01). The deviation from the target axis of implantation was 1.6° ± 1.3° in the femtosecond laser capsular group and 4.8° ± 2.5° in the manual marking group (P < .01) at 1 month postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: IOL misalignment was significantly lower in the femtosecond laser-assisted capsular marking group than in the manual corneal marking group. In addition, the long-term preservation of the capsular marker is helpful in evaluating the rotation of the toric IOL. [J Refract Surg. 2020;36(8):536-542.].

miR-590-5P inhibits the progression of tongue squamous cell carcinoma by targeting FasL.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated microRNA-590-5P (miR-590-5P), which functions as an anti-onco-miRNA in TSCC by downregulating FasL expression. METHODS: In this study, immunohistochemistry was used to detect FasL protein expression in 30 OSCC samples and 8 normal oral mucosa tissue samples. Target Scan was used to predict miRNAs that target FasL. Luciferase reporter assays were used to confirm the effects of miRNA on FasL. Subsequently, the SCC3 tongue cancer cell line was transfected with a miR-590-5P mimic or miR-590-5P inhibitor. qPCR and Western blots were used to detect the expression levels of miR-590-5P and FasL. SCC3 cell viability, apoptosis and growth were assayed by MTT assays, colony formation assays, and a xenograft model. RESULTS: FasL expression was significantly higher in OSCC tissue samples than in normal oral mucosa tissue samples. miR-590-5P could downregulate the expression of FasL in vitro via direct binding to its 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR). Overexpression of miR-590-5P inhibited the proliferation of SCC3 cells. Moreover, miR-590-5P increased the sensitivity of SCC3 cells to the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin (DDP) and led to a significant decrease in colony formation ability. The xenograft experiment confirmed that miR-590-5P can suppress the development of TSCC. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that miR-590-5P targets FasL to inhibit the development of tongue cancer and that miR-590-5P may be a novel therapeutic target for TSCC.

Sensitive and selective determination of GSH based on the ECL quenching of Ru(II) 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione complex.

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) material Ru-dpq (Ru(bpy)2dpq(2+), dpq=1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione; bpy=2,2'-bipyridine) is found to be produced strong and stable anodic ECL signal, which could be quenched by reduced glutathione (GSH) and exhibits high sensitivity and selectivity simultaneously. According to the mass spectra of Ru-SG (product of Ru-dpq reacted with GSH), and single crystal structure of the final oxidized product Ru-dcbpy ((Ru(bpy)2dcbpy(2+), dcbpy=3,3-dicarboxy-2,2-bipyridine), we propose a new interacted mechanism between Ru-dpq and GSH. A good linear relation is estimated to be from 0.1 pM to 50 µM in the presence of calcium ion and the detection limit is as low as 0.087 pM (with the signal-to-noise ratio of 3). The relative standard deviation is 2.3% (for three repeated measurements). Furthermore, the ECL signal of Ru-dpq under a constant potential (1.2V) is extremely stable and the intensity could be maintained over 600 s, which promotes us to determine the concentration of GSH via chronoamperometry.

Self-enhanced electrogenerated chemiluminescence of ruthenium(II) complexes conjugated with Schiff bases.

In this work, we obtain two ruthenium(ii) complexes with Schiff base cavities that exhibit significantly enhanced electrochemiluminescence (ECL) intensity and quantum efficiency due to Ru(bpy)3(2+) in aqueous solution, without the addition of tri-n-propylamine (TPrA). The great increase in ECL intensity is confirmed to be due to the electrochemical oxidation of phenolic hydroxyl groups and the resonant structure of imino radicals. Thus, the electrons are transferred intramolecularly to the Ru(iii) center, leading to efficient generation of the excited state of Ru(ii)*. Subsequently, we find that Co(2+) bonding with the salen cavity can selectively and quickly quench the ECL signal. Furthermore, we study the mechanism of the process by which Co(2+) hinders the oxidation of phenolic groups and blocks the electron transfer from imino radicals to the Ru center. Thus, a highly sensitive and selective ECL probe for the recognition of Co(2+) was developed with a stable response over a concentration range of 0.9 µM to 6.3 µM and a detection limit as low as 21 nM.

[Evaluation the efficacy and safety of estradiol and drospirenone tablets in the treatment of menopausal symptoms among postmenopausal Chinese healthy women:a randomized, multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study].

OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy and safety of estradiol and drospirenone tablets (Angeliq) in treatment of menopausal symptoms among postmenopausal Chinese healthy women. METHODS: Total 244 postmenopausal Chinese healthy women who had moderate to severe hot flushes were randomly assigned into estradiol and drospirenone (observation group, n = 183) or placebo group (n = 61) by the ratio of 3:1 for 16 weeks in this randomized multi-center double-blind placebo-controlled study. During the trial, the follow-up visits were conducted at week 4, 8, 12, 16 of treatment and 2 weeks after treatment respectively. Height, weight, vital signs, hot flushes, other relevant menopausal symptoms and vaginal bleeding were observed in each follow-up visit, while the clinical global impression scale was assessed at 16 weeks as well. RESULTS: It showed that hot flushes were reduced significantly more in observation group than that in placebo group (P < 0.01), although both treatments were effective. The absolute values of mean severity index of total hot flushes decreased by -0.6 ± 0.5 in observation group and -0.4 ± 0.4 in placebo group from baseline respectively, which reached significant difference (P < 0.05). However, the absolute values of mean severity index of moderate to severe hot flushes decreased by -0.6 ± 0.8 in observation group and -0.3 ± 0.6 in placebo group from baseline respectively, which had no significant difference (P > 0.05). After 16 weeks treatment, it also showed that estradiol and drospirenone had significant better efficacy than placebo on moderate to severe sweating, vaginal dryness and clinical global impression scale (P < 0.01). During the trial, blood pressure in observation group was stable. The rate of vaginal bleeding in observation group was higher than that in the placebo group, especially during the week 4 to week 8 when 48.9% (87/178) in observation group and 10.7% (6/56) in placebo group of patients bled. Although the cumulative amenorrhea rate of observation group was lower than that of placebo group in each cycle (28 days), it increased gradually along with duration of the treatment. The commonest adverse event in observation group was breast tenderness which accounted for 12.0% (22/183). The level of serum potassium was in the normal range in observation group mostly.Meanwhile, the other adverse events rate was low. Serious adverse events reported in this trial were assessed as not study drug related or as unlikely study drug related. CONCLUSION: Estradiol and drospirenone tablets which could effectively alleviate menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal Chinese healthy women is a novel hormone replacement therapy regimen with high safety and efficacy.

[Study on the relationship of MTHFR polymorphisms with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T genotypes to unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA). METHODS: This study included two groups:57 currently non-pregnant women with a history of URSA (URSA group), and 50 currently non-pregnant women with a history of having given birth to at least one live baby and without any history of spontaneous abortion, still-born fetus, placental thrombosis and intrauterine growth retardation(IUGR)(control group). The fasting serum-Hcy was measured with high pressure liquid chromatography. Folic acid and vitamin B(12) were detected by radioimmune assay; antiphospholipid antibody (ACA) was detected by ELISA. MTHFR C677T gene polymorphisms were detected by the technique of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). RESULTS: C/C genotype in URSA group was significantly lower than that in control group, the total mutant T allele frequency was significantly higher than that in control group. There was no significant difference in respect of "age, rural area/city, period, primary/secondary abortion" between the genotype distributions of MTHFR C677T. The T/T genotype and C/T+T/T genotypes frequencies for "abortion times>or=3" were higher than those for "abortion time <3". CONCLUSION: MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism is a genetic risk factor for URSA.

[Influences of active immunotherapy on T helper cell type 1 and 2 cytokines in women with unexplained habitual abortion].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influences of active immunotherapy on T helper cell (Th)1/Th2 type cytokines in women with unexplained habitual abortion (UHA). METHODS: A total of 55 patients with UHA were studied, including 30 cases after active immunotherapy (AIT) and 25 cases without any therapy (NAIT). Fifteen cases of normal nonpregnant (NNP) women were selected as control group. Supernatants from trophoblast-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of the three groups were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-4, IL-10. RESULTS: (1) The levels of IL-2 and IFN-gamma in AIT group [(108 +/- 37) ng/L and (110 +/- 52) ng/L, respectively] were lower significantly than those in NAIT group [(223 +/- 85) ng/L and (326 +/- 92) ng/L, respectively] (P < 0.05). The levels of IL-4 and IL-10 in AIT group [(50 +/- 11) ng/L and (140 +/- 37) ng/L, respectively] were higher than those in NAIT group [(23 +/- 11) ng/L and (52 +/- 28) ng/L] +/- (P < 0.05). The levels of IL-2 and IFN-gamma in NAIT group were higher than those in NNP group [(92 +/- 32) ng/L and (102 +/- 35) ng/L] (P < 0.05). The levels of IL-4 and IL-10 in NAIT group were lower than those in NNP group [(62 +/- 21) ng/L and (150 +/- 42) ng/L] (P < 0.05). The level of every cytokine had no difference in AIT group and NNP group (P > 0.05). (2) Twenty-six women in AIT group got pregnant, but 8 women experienced pregnancy loss repeatedly whose IL-2, IFN-gamma levels were higher than those in other 18 women got successful pregnancy and IL-4, IL-10 levels lower than the latter. CONCLUSIONS: UHA patients have Th1 type immunity to trophoblast and produce high-level Th1 type cytokines which probably result in pregnancy loss. Active immunotherapy could make a shift from Th1 to Th2 immunity, thus favoring the maintenance of pregnancy.