Rynchopeterine inhibits the formation of hypertrophic scars by regulating the miR-21/HIF1AN axis.

Hypertrophic scar (HS) is a fibroproliferative skin disease characterized by abnormal wound healing and pathological excessive fibrosis of the skin. Currently, the molecular mechanism of the disease is still largely unknown, and there is no effective drug treatment. In this study, we explored the effect of Rynchopeterine on the formation of HS. HS fibroblasts (HSFs) were isolated from the HS tissues of patients recovering from severe burns. After treating HSFs with different concentrations of Rynchopeterine, CCK-8, EdU, and Annexin V-FITC/PI assays were used to detect the proliferation, apoptosis, and contractile ability of HSFs. RT-qPCR and Western blotting were performed to evaluate the effect of Rynchopeterine on the expression of miR-21 and hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha subunit suppressor (HIF1AN). The dual-luciferase reporter gene was used to verify the targeting relationship between miR-21 and HIF1AN. Rynchopeterine reduced the expression of Col1a2, Col3a1, and α-SMA, inhibited proliferation and contraction of HSFs, and increased apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. miR-21 was highly expressed in HS tissues and HSFs, and Rynchopeterine could inhibit miR-21 expression. Overexpression of miR-21 and knockdown of HIF1AN increased proliferation, activation, contraction, and collagen synthesis of HSFs, and inhibited their apoptosis. In vivo, Rynchopeterine could reduce the collagen content of the dermis and the positive ratio of PCNA and α-SMA. Rynchopeterine is a good therapeutic agent for HS, which up-regulates the expression of HIF1AN by inhibiting miR-21, thereby inhibiting the formation of HS.

Summary of Outpatient Visits for Characteristic Nursing in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The aim of this study was to investigate the practical outcomes of traditional Chinese medicine specialty nursing clinics in the clinical setting. Outpatient services have become increasingly popular for seeking medical care. Establishing traditional Chinese medicine specialty nursing clinics can meet the medical needs of the general public, and provide patients with convenient and efficient medical services. This study employed a retrospective cross-sectional observational design to analyze the medical service status of all patients who attended the clinic since its opening. Five qualified traditional Chinese medicine nursing experts identified and implemented 5 categories of traditional Chinese medicine characteristic nursing techniques, including cupping, moxibustion, needle acupuncture, and massage. Nurses and patients evaluated the treatment outcomes for various diseases. Since the establishment of the nursing outpatient department 2 years ago, there have been over 7046 visits, with a satisfaction rate of 97.1%. Currently, 5 nursing experts are nurturing a total of 11 graduate students, conducting 5 free clinics in the nursing outpatient department, and organizing 3 visits by overseas experts. The traditional Chinese medicine specialty nursing outpatient service effectively meets the diverse medical needs of patients, alleviates the outpatient pressure on hospitals, enhances the specialized development of nurses, increases the prominence of traditional Chinese medicine specialty nursing techniques, and promotes traditional Chinese medicine culture.

Non-invasive diagnosis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Current status and future perspective.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease throughout the world. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver cirrhosis can result from nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the severe stage of NAFLD progression. By some estimates, NAFLD affects almost one-third of the world's population, which is completely new and serious public health issue. Unfortunately, NAFLD is diagnosed by exclusion, and the gold standard for identifying NAFLD/NASH and reliably measuring liver fibrosis remains liver biopsy, which is an invasive, costly, time-consuming procedure and involves variable inter-observer diagnosis. With the progress of omics and imaging techniques, numerous non-invasive serological assays have been generated and developed. On the basis of these developments, non-invasive biomarkers and imaging techniques have been combined to increase diagnostic accuracy. This review provides information for the diagnosis and assessment of NAFLD/NASH in clinical practice going forward and may assist the clinician in making an early and accurate diagnosis and in proposing a cost-effective patient surveillance. We discuss newly identified and validated non-invasive diagnostic methods from biopsy-confirmed NAFLD patient studies and their implementation in clinical practice, encompassing NAFLD/NASH diagnosis and differentiation, fibrosis assessment, and disease progression monitoring. A series of tests, including 20-carboxy arachidonic acid (20-COOH AA) and 13,14-dihydro-15-keto prostaglandin D2 (dhk PGD2), were found to be potentially the most accurate non-invasive tests for diagnosing NAFLD. Additionally, the Three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (3D-MRE), combination of the FM-fibro index and Liver stiffness measurement (FM-fibro LSM index) and the machine learning algorithm (MLA) tests are more accurate than other tests in assessing liver fibrosis. However, it is essential to use bigger cohort studies to corroborate a number of non-invasive diagnostic tests with extremely elevated diagnostic values.

Hypocomplementemia in primary Sjogren's syndrome: association with serological, clinical features, and outcome.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to assess the clinical characteristic of hypocomplementemia (HC) in primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS), and to address possible risk factors and the prognosis associated with HC in pSS patients. METHODS: pSS patients with HC in Hebei General Hospital from September 2016 to March 2019 were retrospectively analyzed and compared to those with normocomplementemia (NC). Logistic regression analysis was used to detect risk factors. RESULTS: Of the 333 patients with pSS, 84 patients (25.23%) were presented with HC at diagnosis. The presence of hyper-IgG and anti-Ro52 antibodies was significantly more common in patients with HC. In addition to systemic involvement, pSS patients with HC had more hematological, renal, and nervous system involvement, and received more immunosuppressant treatments than NC group (p < 0.05). ESSDAI score was significantly higher in patients with HC (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic analysis indicated that leukopenia (OR = 2.23) and hyper-IgG (OR = 2.13) were independent risk factors for pSS with HC. In addition, profound CD16/CD56+ NK-cell lymphopenia was found in pSS-HC patients. More pSS patients developed SLE in the HC group than NC group (4.76% vs. 0.80%, p = 0.04) during the follow-up. CONCLUSION: HC was not an uncommon manifestation of pSS and had an independent association with the main clinical and immunological features. Patients with pSS-HC had an increased possibility to develop SLE that required more positive treatment with glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants. KEY POINTS: • Hypocomplementemia had an independent association with the main clinical and immunological features in primary Sjogren's syndrome patients. • ESSDAI score was significantly higher in patients with hypocomplementemia. • The pSS patients with hypocomplementemia had an increased possibility to develop SLE.

Titanium nanoparticles fate in small-sized watersheds under different land-uses.

Surface waters from three catchments having contrasting land-uses (forested, agricultural, and urban) were sampled monthly and analysed for nanoparticulate titanium dioxide (NPs-TiO2) by single particle ICPMS and electron microscopy. We report one-year of data for NPs-TiO2 having average number and mass concentrations of 9.1 × 108 NPs-TiO2 particles L-1 and 11 µg NPs-TiO2 L-1 respectively. An increase in concentration during warmer months is observed in the forested and agricultural catchments. Both concentrations of NPs-TiO2 are within the range of recently reported values using similar analytical approaches. The positive correlations for NPs-TiO2 mass concentration or particle number with the concentration of some trace elements and DOC in the forested and agricultural catchments suggest the detected NPs-TiO2 in these two systems are mostly from geogenic origin. Additionally, microscopy imaging confirmed the presence of NPs in the three catchments. Furthermore, the land-area normalized annual flux of NPs-TiO2 (1.65 kg TiO2 year-1 km-2) was highest for the agricultural catchment, suggesting that agricultural practices have a different impact on the NPs-TiO2 dynamics and exports than other land-uses (urban or forestry). A similar trend is also found by the reanalysis of recent literature data.

Flow and fate of silver nanoparticles in small French catchments under different land-uses: The first one-year study.

This study focused on surface waters from three small creeks, within the Seine River watershed, which are characterized by different land-uses, namely forested, agricultural and urban. Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) in these waters were detected and quantified by single-particle ICPMS during one-year of monthly sampling. Their temporal and spatial variations were investigated. Ag-NPs, in the three types of surface water, were found to range from 1.5 × 107 to 2.3 × 109 particles L-1 and from 0.4 to 28.3 ng L-1 at number and mass concentrations, respectively. These values are in consistent with the very few previous studies. In addition, the role of factors driving process and potential sources are discussed with correlations between Ag-NPs concentrations and biogeochemical parameters, like dissolved organic carbon concentration and divalent cations concentrations. For the forested watershed NOM controls the stability (number and mass) of the Ag-NPs as recently observed in the field in lake water in Germany. In the case of the agricultural and urban watersheds major cations such as Ca would control the number and mass of Ag-NPs. Dilution processes are rejected as conductivity and Cl- ions do not show significant correlations with Ag-NPs or other major geochemical parameters. The specific exportation rates of Ag-NPs for artificial, agricultural and forested areas were calculated based on the monthly data for the full year and are equal to 5.5 ± 3.0, 0.5 ± 0.3 and 0.2 ± 0.2 gy-1km-2, respectively. These data suggest a constant release of Ag-NPs from consumer products into freshwaters in artificial areas, for instance, from textiles, washing machines, domestic tap-water filters, outdoor paints. These first data of Ag-NPs fluxes in surface waters of France enlarge the very limited database of field measurements. Moreover, for the first time, the influence of time, land-use and aquatic geochemistry parameters on Ag-NPs in real natural water samples is reported. It is also helpful to further understand the fate and the process of Ag-NPs in natural waters, as well as to the ecotoxicity studies in real-world environment.

Theoretical and experimental investigation of the focusing position in asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4).

To better understand the focusing process and to determine the focusing position (zfoc) in Asymmetrical Flow Field-Flow Fractionation (AF4), theoretical and experimental studies were performed. A new theoretical expression that allows the calculation of zfoc in AF4 channels of any shape having an axial plane of symmetry was established. The equation was then applied to the particular case of a trapezoidal AF4 channel with tapered ends. The applicability of this equation was verified by comparing the calculated results with the experimental measures of the focusing position obtained using blue dextran dye under different flow conditions. The calculated values and the experimental results were in good agreement. The total uncertainty associated with the calculated zfoc was evaluated and was lower than 10%. A good repeatability and reproducibility of the focusing position was obtained. Moreover, the effects of the sample-injection position, the spacer thickness, the membrane aging, and the nature of the injected sample on the focusing position were investigated: zfoc was not influenced by these parameters, proving the universal applicability of the equation given in this work for predicting the focusing position, when the assumption of constancy of the cross-flow velocity at the membrane, which underlies this equation, is fulfilled. Additionally, it is notable that this theoretical expression is suitable for different models of AF4 channel and not peculiar to specific suppliers.

Functionalization of Bambusurils by a Thiol-Ene Click Reaction and a Facile Method for the Preparation of Anion-Free Bambus[6]urils.

Sulfide-functionalized bambus[4]urils ((RS)8 BU[4]) and bambus[6]urils ((RS)12 BU[6]) were synthesized through thiol-ene click coupling reactions (TEC) of allylbambus[n]urils. Thiosugars were grafted to BU[4] and BU[6]. Synthesis of BU[6] derivatives always requires the use of a template anion (iodide, chloride, or bromide), which is enclosed in the cavity of BU[6]. We show that this anion influences the reactivity of bambus[6]urils. An encapsulated iodide makes allyl functions of allyl12 BU[6] less reactive towards TEC and hydrogenation reactions in comparison to the corresponding chloride or bromide inclusion complexes. This is critical for the chemical reactivity of BU[6] and even more to determine their anion-binding properties. We report a new, facile and fast method using AgSbF6 to prepare anion-free BU[6]. NMR spectroscopic methods were used to estimate association constants of these new empty BU[6] with different anions. Quantum chemical calculations were employed to rationalize the observed results. These new functionalized bambusuril scaffolds in alternate conformations could find applications as multivalent binders.

Early Medicaid Expansion Associated With Reduced Payday Borrowing In California.

We examined the impact of California's early Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act on the use of payday loans, a form of high-interest borrowing used by low- and middle-income Americans. Using a data set for the period 2009-13 (roughly twenty-four months before and twenty-four months after the 2011-12 Medicaid expansion) that covered the universe of payday loans from five large payday lenders with locations around the United States, we used a difference-in-differences research design to assess the effect of the expansion on payday borrowing, comparing trends in early-expansion counties in California to those in counties nationwide that did not expand early. The early Medicaid expansion was associated with an 11 percent reduction in the number of loans taken out each month. It also reduced the number of unique borrowers each month and the amount of payday loan debt. We were unable to determine precisely how and for whom the expansion reduced payday borrowing, since to our knowledge, no data exist that directly link payday lending to insurance status. Nonetheless, our results suggest that Medicaid reduced the demand for high-interest loans and improved the financial health of American families.

A new biosensor for glucose determination in serum based on up-converting fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

In this work, a new glucose sensor based on up-converting fluorescence resonance energy transfer (UC-FRET) was developed. Up-converting phosphors (UCPs, NaYF(4): Yb, Er), which were covalently labeled with Concanavalin A (ConA), were used as the energy donor with thiolated ß-cyclodextrins (SH-ß-CDs) functionalized gold nanoparticles as the energy acceptor. Due to the combination between ConA and SH-ß-CDs, the energy donor and the acceptor were brought to close proximity, resulting in the quenching of the fluorescence of UCPs by gold nanoparticles. In the presence of glucose which competed with SH-ß-CDs towards the binding sites of ConA, the biosensor (UCPs-ConA-SH-ß-CDs-Au) was decomposed and the energy donor was separated from the acceptor. Therefore, the fluorescence of UCPs was restored dependent on the concentration of glucose. The increase of UCPs fluorescence intensity was proportional to glucose concentration within the range from 0.4 µM to 10µM in aqueous buffer, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.043 µM. A same linear range of glucose concentration was obtained in a human serum matrix (which was pretreated and thus contained no glucose) with a slightly higher LOD (0.065 µM). The glucose sensor was applied to real human serum samples with the results consistent with that of a classic hexokinase (HK) method, indicating that the UC-FRET biosensor was competent for directly sensing glucose in serum samples without optical interference, which benefited from the near infrared (NIR) excitation nature of UCPs. The results of this work suggested that the UC-FRET technique could be a promising alternative for detecting biomolecules in complex biological sample matrixes for diagnostic purposes.