Plasmodium vivax tryptophan-rich antigen reduces type I collagen secretion via the NF-κBp65 pathway in splenic fibroblasts.

BACKGROUND: The spleen plays a critical role in the immune response against malaria parasite infection, where splenic fibroblasts (SFs) are abundantly present and contribute to immune function by secreting type I collagen (collagen I). The protein family is characterized by Plasmodium vivax tryptophan-rich antigens (PvTRAgs), comprising 40 members. PvTRAg23 has been reported to bind to human SFs (HSFs) and affect collagen I levels. Given the role of type I collagen in splenic immune function, it is important to investigate the functions of the other members within the PvTRAg protein family. METHODS: Protein structural prediction was conducted utilizing bioinformatics analysis tools and software. A total of 23 PvTRAgs were successfully expressed and purified using an Escherichia coli prokaryotic expression system, and the purified proteins were used for co-culture with HSFs. The collagen I levels and collagen-related signaling pathway protein levels were detected by immunoblotting, and the relative expression levels of inflammatory factors were determined by quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: In silico analysis showed that P. vivax has 40 genes encoding the TRAg family. The C-terminal region of all PvTRAgs is characterized by the presence of a domain rich in tryptophan residues. A total of 23 recombinant PvTRAgs were successfully expressed and purified. Only five PvTRAgs (PvTRAg5, PvTRAg16, PvTRAg23, PvTRAg30, and PvTRAg32) mediated the activation of the NF-κBp65 signaling pathway, which resulted in the production of inflammatory molecules and ultimately a significant reduction in collagen I levels in HSFs. CONCLUSIONS: Our research contributes to the expansion of knowledge regarding the functional role of PvTRAgs, while it also enhances our understanding of the immune evasion mechanisms utilized by parasites.

Establishment of protoplasts transient expression system in Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we established an efficient and rapid transient expression system in the protoplasts of Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit. (P. ternata). RESULTS: The protoplasts of P. ternata were prepared from plant leaves as the source material by digesting them with the combination of 20 g·l-1 cellulase and 15 g·l-1 macerozyme for 6 h. Based on the screening of PEG concentration, the conditions for PEG-mediated protoplast transformation were improved, and the highest transformation efficiency was found for 40% PEG 4000. Furthermore, we used the subcellular protein localization technique in P. ternata protoplasts to allow further validation of transient expression system. CONCLUSIONS: We present the method that can be applicable for studying both gene verification and expression in P. ternata protoplasts, thus allowing for engineering the improved varieties of P. ternata through molecular plant breeding techniques. This method can also be widely applicable for analyzing protein interactions, detecting promoter activity, for somatic cell fusion in plant breeding, as well as for other related studies.

Changes in global food consumption increase GHG emissions despite efficiency gains along global supply chains.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to food consumption complement production-based or territorial accounts by capturing carbon leaked through trade. Here we evaluate global consumption-based food emissions between 2000 and 2019 and underlying drivers using a physical trade flow approach and structural decomposition analysis. In 2019, emissions throughout global food supply chains reached 30 ±9% of anthropogenic GHG emissions, largely triggered by beef and dairy consumption in rapidly developing countries-while per capita emissions in developed countries with a high percentage of animal-based food declined. Emissions outsourced through international food trade dominated by beef and oil crops increased by ~1 Gt CO2 equivalent, mainly driven by increased imports by developing countries. Population growth and per capita demand increase were key drivers to the global emissions increase (+30% and +19%, respectively) while decreasing emissions intensity from land-use activities was the major factor to offset emissions growth (-39%). Climate change mitigation may depend on incentivizing consumer and producer choices to reduce emissions-intensive food products.

Preparation and in vitro property evaluation of β-cyclodextrin-daidzein/PEG_(20000)/Carbomer_(940) nanocrystals / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to improve the solubility and bioavailability of daidzein by preparing the β-cyclodextrin-daidzein/PEG_(20000)/Carbomer_(940) nanocrystals. Specifically, the nanocrystals were prepared with daidzein as a model drug, PEG_(20000), Carbomer_(940), and NaOH as a plasticizer, a gelling agent, and a crosslinking agent, respectively. A two-step method was employed to prepare the β-cyclodextrin-daidzein/PEG_(20000)/Carbomer_(940) nanocystals. First, the insoluble drug daidzein was embedded in β-cyclodextrin to form inclusion complexes, which were then encapsulated in the PEG_(20000)/Carbomer_(940) nanocrystals. The optimal mass fraction of NaOH was determined as 0.8% by the drug release rate, redispersability, SEM morphology, encapsulation rate, and drug loading. The inclusion status of daidzein nanocrystals was determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis(TGA), and X-ray diffraction(XRD) analysis to verify the feasibility of the preparation. The prepared nanocrystals showed the average Zeta potential of(-30.77±0.15)mV and(-37.47±0.64)mV and the particle sizes of(333.60±3.81)nm and(544.60±7.66)nm before and after daidzein loading, respectively. The irregular distribution of nanocrystals before and after daidzein loading was observed under SEM. The redispersability experiment showed high dispersion efficiency of the nanocrystals. The in vitro dissolution rate of nanocrystals in intestinal fluid was significantly faster than that of daidzein, and followed the first-order drug release kinetic model. XRD, FTIR, and TGA were employed to determine the polycrystalline properties, drug loading, and thermal stability of the nanocrystals before and after drug loading. The nanocrystals loaded with daidzein demonstrated obvious antibacterial effect. The nanocrystals had more significant inhibitory effects on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa than daidzein because of the improved solubility of daidzein. The prepared nanocrystals can significantly increase the dissolution rate and oral bioavailability of the insoluble drug daidzein.

Carbon-economic inequality in global ICT trade.

The expansion of information and communications technology (ICT) trade has contributed to rising trade imbalances and international tensions. A detailed assessment of the potential carbon and economic impacts of ICT trade is pertinent. We assess to what extent and how the carbon costs and economic benefits embodied in ICT trade were unevenly distributed among global regions in the period 2000-2018 using multiregional input-output models. We show that in 2018, emerging economies received 82% of the CO2 emissions while developed economies gained 42% of the value-added in ICT exports. This carbon-economic inequality (CEI) decreased (i.e., improved) by 16% from 2000 to 2018, arising from global production fragmentation, with developed economies retaining downstream high value-added ICT marketing but outsourcing upper- and middle-stream carbon-intensive material extraction and manufacturing to emerging economies. This study provides insights for enhancing negotiations and cooperation among global regions to light a path toward sustainable ICT trade.

City-level emission peak and drivers in China.

China is playing an increasing role in global climate change mitigation, and local authorities need more city-specific information on the emissions trends and patterns when designing low-carbon policies. This study provides the most comprehensive CO2 emission inventories of 287 Chinese cities from 2001 to 2019. The emission inventories are compiled for 47 economic sectors and include energy-related emissions for 17 types of fossil fuels and process-related emissions from cement production. We further investigate the state of the emission peak in each city and reveal hidden driving forces. The results show that 38 cities have proactively peaked their emissions for at least five years and another 21 cities also have emission decline, but passively. The 38 proactively peaked cities achieved emission decline mainly by efficiency improvements and structural changes in energy use, while the 21 passively emission declined cities reduced emissions at the cost of economic recession or population loss. We propose that those passively emission declined cities need to face up to the reasons that caused the emission to decline, and fully exploit the opportunities provided by industrial innovation and green investment brought by low-carbon targets to achieve economic recovery and carbon mitigation goals. Proactively peaked cities need to seek strategies to maintain the downward trend in emissions and avoid an emission rebound and thus provide successful models for cities with still growing emissions to achieve an emission peak.

The two-stage factors driving changes in China's industrial SO2 emission intensity: A production-theoretical decomposition analysis.

Exploring the efficiency and technology related driving factors of China's industrial sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission intensity change from a staged perspective is significant for reducing emissions in an efficient way. This study shows how efficiency and technology related factors at two stages, cleaner production and end-of-pipe treatment, influence changes in China's industrial SO2 emission intensity, by implementing a two-stage production-theoretical decomposition analysis (PDA) approach. The empirical research was conducted by decomposing changes in China's industrial SO2 emission intensity during 2011-2015. The results show that potential pollution intensity and treatment technological change substantially benefited the industrial SO2 emission intensity reduction, while changes in the treatment technical efficiency largely inhibited decreases in the industrial SO2 emission intensity. At the regional level, the decrease in industrial SO2 emission intensity created by production technological change occurred in the eastern and north-eastern regions, while this factor increased industrial SO2 emission intensity in the western and central regions. This study also found that changes in treatment technological change reduced industrial SO2 emission intensity in all four regions. Based on the decomposition results, this paper makes targeted policy recommendations for different levels of governments.

Self-assembly of photosensitive and radiotherapeutic peptide for combined photodynamic-radio cancer therapy with intracellular delivery of miRNA-139-5p.

BACKGROUND: A significant challenge in cancer therapy is to maximize the therapeutic efficacy and minimize the side effects. In the past decade, a lot of nanoparticles have been used as the carriers for efficient drug delivery. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study was to prepare R9 modified with 125I-labeled cRGD and ce6 which self-assembled with miR-139-5p to form nanoparticles (Ce6-R9-125I-RGD-MNPs), and to further take advantage of the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect of radiolabeled nanoparticles to realize the integration of tumor diagnosis and treatment. We successfully synthesized and represented it, saline and serum stability experiments demonstrating good stability. Moreover, Ce6-R9-125I-RGD-MNPs showed superior tumor targeting and the effect of combined photodynamic therapy (PDT) and radiotherapy treatment in vivo and vitro. CONCLUSION: The pathological results further confirmed that the therapeutic doses of Ce6-R9-125I-RGD-MNPs cause pathological changes of tumor tissues while showing minimal toxicity to normal tissues.

An improved production-theoretical approach to decomposing carbon dioxide emissions.

Production-theoretical decomposition analysis (PDA), built on production theory and data envelopment analysis, has been widely used to quantify the factors that drive CO2 emission changes to support policy analysis and making. Existing PDA methods are usually linked to Shephard distance function and Malmquist productivity index. However, decomposition results associated with these methods may be biased and incomplete. The challenges with these methods mainly stem from the problems associated with underestimating disaggregated efficiencies and the infeasibility of linear programming. This paper proposes a modified PDA approach based on a non-radial directional distance function and global Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index. This new approach addresses the problems associated with conventional PDA methods. To show the usefulness of the proposed approach, we apply it to study CO2 emissions in China and use the bootstrap method to test the statistical significance of the estimated results.

Industrial SO2 emissions treatment in China: A temporal-spatial whole process decomposition analysis.

Effectively treating industrial SO2 emissions depends on the synergy of different factors from the industrial SO2 generation source to the end of treatment. Applying a whole process treatment perspective, this paper decomposes industrial SO2 emissions into six specific driving factors in three whole process treatment dimensions (i.e. source prevention, process control, and end-of-pipe treatment), and economic scale. A temporal index decomposition analysis (Temporal-IDA), attribution analysis (AA), and spatial index decomposition analysis (Spatial-IDA) methods are then applied to quantify each dimension's treatment effect and its spatial differences. The empirical study across 30 regions in China using data from 2005 to 2015 shows that: (1) The end-of-pipe treatment is the dominant dimension for decreasing industrial SO2 emissions, followed by process control. The contribution of source prevention to reduce industrial SO2 emissions has begun to appear, however, there remains room for further improvement; (2) End-of-pipe treatment strength and energy intensity are key factors in reducing industrial SO2 emissions; Inner Mongolia, Henan, and Shandong are the main contributors; (3) The treatment emphasis are different among regions; as such, there are different treatment effects across the three dimensions of the whole process treatment. Regions can be classified into four categories: the Leading type, Process-dependent type, End-dependent type, and Lagging type. Based on the empirical results, this paper identifies the policy implications of promoting whole process treatment on China's industrial SO2 emissions.

BLACAT1 predicts poor prognosis and serves as oncogenic lncRNA in small-cell lung cancer.

Bladder cancer-associated transcript 1 (BLACAT1) is a novel identified long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in bladder cancer, and has been suggested to function as an oncogenic lncRNA in several types of human cancer. However, its involvement in the progression of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) remained unknown. The aim of our study was to investigate the clinical value and biological function in SCLC. In our results, BLACAT1 expression was increased in SCLC tissues and cell lines compared with paired adjacent normal tissues and bronchial epithelial cell lines, respectively. In addition, BLACAT1 high-expression was obviously associated with advanced clinical stage, large tumor size, more lymph node metastasis, present distant metastasis, and poor prognosis. Furthermore, multivariate analysis indicated that high-expression of BLACAT1 acted as an independent poor prognostic factor for overall survival in SCLC cases. The loss-of-function studies suggested that of BLACAT1 suppressed SCLC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and induced G0/G1 phase arrest. In conclusion, BLACAT1 is associated with the malignant status and prognosis in patients with SCLC, and functions as an oncogenic lncRNA in regulating cell proliferation and motility, suggesting BLACAT1 may act as a potential target for SCLC prevention and treatment.

Effects of bletilla striata polysaccharideon on expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in rat ovaries and malondialdehyde in rat serum and endometrial morphology during perimenopause period / 局解手术学杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of the bletilla striata polysaccharide on the expression of ovarian vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) and serum malondialdehyde(MDA)and endometrial morphology in rat during perimenopause period.Methods The animal model of perimenopause rats was established by unforced aging.A total of 40 female SD rats(12~14 months old)were randomly divid-ed into four groups:Chinese medicine low(0.5 g/kg),medium(1 g/kg),high(2 g/kg) dosage group and the elder model group.The rats were given with corresponding drugs for 8 weeks.The content changes of ovarian VEGF protein was detected by western blot;serum MDA con-tent was detected by thiobarbituric acid;the morphology of endometrium in rats was observed by HE staining.Results Eight weeks later, compared with the elder model group,the VEGF protein expression in Chinese medicine low,medium,high dosage group increased,the serum MDA content in Chinese medicine low,medium,high,dosage group reduced,the differences were statistically significant( P<0.01),with dose dependence.Endometrial thickening and glandular increasing with the increase of dose.Conclusion Bletilla striata polysaccharide can upregulate the expression of VEGF protein,and down regulate the level of serum MDA,which improves the uterine function so as to delay the process of perimenopause in rats.

2-{4-[(1,3-Benzodioxol-5-yl)meth-yl]piperazin-1-yl}pyrimidine.

In the title compound, C16H18N4O2, known also as peribedil, the dihedral angle between the mean planes of the pyrimidine and benzene rings is 56.5 (8)°. The 1,3-dioxole fragment adopts an envelope conformation with the methyl-ene C atom forming the flap; this atom deviates by 0.232 (3) Šfrom the plane defined by the remaining atoms of the 1,3-benzodioxole unit. In the crystal, C-H⋯π inter-actions between c-glide-related mol-ecules arrange them into columns extending along the c-axis direction. The columns related by a unit translation along the b axis are packed into (100) layers via another C-H⋯π inter-action involving the pyrimidine ring as an acceptor.

9-Ethyl-3-(2-methyl-benzo-yl)-9H-carbazole.

In the title compound, C(22)H(19)NO, the dihedral angle between the benzene ring and the carbazole ring system 77.1 (1)°.. The crystal structure is stabilized by inter-molecular aromatic π-π inter-actions between the benzene ring and the pyrrole ring of the carbazole system of neighbouring mol-ecules [centroid-centroid distance = 3.617 (4) Å]. In addition, the crystal structure exhibits a weak inter-molecular C-H⋯π inter-action.

1-[9-Ethyl-6-(2-methyl-benzo-yl)-9H-carbazol-3-yl]ethanone.

In the title compound, C(24)H(21)NO(2), the pendant benzene ring is inclined at a dihedral angle of 86.66 (18)° with respect to the adjacent aromatic ring of the carbozole unit. In the crystal structure, symmetry-related mol-ecules are linked via C-H⋯O and C-H⋯π inter-actions.