Kinetic and Stability Studies of Amino Acid Metal-Organic Frameworks for Encapsulating of Amino Acid Dehydrogenase.

Zr-MOFs was applied for the immobilization of hyperthermophilic and halophilic amino acid dehydrogenase (Zr-MOFs-NTAaDH) by physical adsorption for the biosynthesis of L-homophenylalanine. Activity of Zr-MOFs-NTAaDH was enhanced by 3.3-fold of the free enzyme at 70°C. And the enzyme activity of Zr-MOFs-NTAaDH was maintained at 4.16 U/mg at pH 11, which was 7.8 folds of that of NTAaDH. Kinetic parameters indicated catalytic efficiency of Zr-MOFs-NTAaDH was increased compared to the free enzyme as kcat of Zr-MOFs-NTAaDH was 12.3-fold of that of free enzyme. After 7 recycles, the activity of Zr-MOFs-NTAaDH remained 68%. And Zr-MOFs-NTAaDH exhibited high ionic liquid tolerance which indicated the great potential for industrial application.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Pethia padamya (Actinopteri, Cyprinidae).

Pethia padamya (Kullander and Britz, 2008) is a freshwater fish distributed in the Mekong River basin of Thailand. It has beautiful colors and can be used as an ornamental fish. The complete mitochondrial genome of P. padamya was determined using next-generation sequencing technology and its characteristics were analyzed. The mitochondrial genome is a closed circular molecule comprising 16,792 bp, including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and a major non-coding region. The overall base composition of the mitochondrial genome is 32.47% A, 25.39% C, 26.08% T, and 16.06% G, with a high A + T bias of 58.55%. Phylogenetic analysis revealed P. padamya as a sister group of Pethia conchonius+(Pethia ticto+Pethia cumingii) and Pethia gelius with maximal support, providing support for the monophyly of the genus Pethia based on concatenated nucleotide sequences. The results of this study proved the monophyly of the genus Pethia. These data for the first time provide information on the complete mitochondrial genome of P. padamya and can contribute to further studies on the biodiversity and management of P. padamya.

Platelet-rich Plasma (PRP) in the Treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcers and its Regulation of Autophagy.

Objective: Through clinical trials, this study observes the therapeutic effect of platelet-rich plasma (platelet-rich plasma, PRP) on diabetic foot ulcers and explored the relationship between the relationship between PRP and autophagy. Methods: Thirty patients with diabetic foot ulcer who met the relevant criteria were randomly divided into PRP treatment group and control group. In the PRP treatment group, the formed PRP gel was coated and bandaged on the diabetic foot ulcer wound, and the PRP treatment was repeated on the seventh day. The control group was covered with normal saline sterile gauze. Observe the healing rate of the wound in 7 days, 14 days and 21 days, the pain in 5 consecutive days and the healing time of the wound after treatment, collect wound granulation tissues before and twenty-first days after treatment then detect the expression of autophagy-related proteins (LC-3, P62) and inflammatory factors (IL-6, IL-10) in diabetic foot ulcer wound to investigate the potential relationship between PRP treatment of diabetic foot ulcers and autophagy and inflammatory responses. Results: The wound healing rate of diabetic foot ulcer patients in the PRP treatment group was higher than that in the control group on the seventh, 14th and 21st days, the healing time (31.40 ± 4.47) was better than that in the control group (43.20 ± 5.03) days, and the pain improvement was better than that in the control group (P < .05). The results of Western blot analysis and quantitative PCR of autophagy-related proteins (LC-3 and p62) in granulation tissue showed that the values of LC3 and LC3-II/LC3-I and the expression of LC3 gene in wound granulation tissue of PRP group were significantly higher than those before treatment (P < .05). The value and gene expression of P62 protein were lower than those before treatment (P < .05). In the control group, there was no significant difference in LC3 and P62 protein gray level and gene expression before and after treatment (P > .05). The level of autophagy in the wound of PRP group increased after treatment, while there was no statistical significance in the control group. The results of ELISA showed that the concentration of IL-6 in granulation tissue of the PRP treatment group was lower than that before treatment (P < .05), while there was no significant difference in IL-6 in the control group after treatment. The concentration of IL-10 increased in both groups after treatment, but the concentration in PRP group was higher than that in control group (P < .05). Conclusions: This study shows that PRP gel has advantages in accelerating wound healing, relieving pain, shortening healing time and reducing inflammatory response in treating diabetic foot ulcers wound, which may be related to autophagy, and provides new ideas for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.

The complete chloroplast genome of Torenia violacea (Azaola) Pennell 1943 (Linderniaceae).

Torenia violacea (Azaola) Pennell 1943 as a traditional Chinese medicine plant, has been used to treat multiple diseases. In this study, we sequenced, assembled, and characterized the complete plastome of T. violacea. The plastome (OQ167784) exhibited a typical quadripartite structure, with a total length of 154,007 bp, comprising a pair of inverted repeats (IRs; 24,809 bp) separated by a large single-copy (LSC) region (85,559 bp) and a small single-copy (SSC) region (18,830 bp). Through genome annotation, we identified 133 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, eight rRNA genes, and 38 tRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a close relationship between T. violacea and T. fournieri. The research results provide basic genetic resources for the development of species identification and investigation of phylogenetic relationships in the Torenia genus.

Oral supramolecular nanovectors for dual natural medicine codelivery to prevent gastric mucosal lesion.

The oral administration of a single formulation loaded with more than one natural medicine to treat chronic diseases has advantages such as convenience, effectiveness, and economy. Here, using biomaterials approved by the drug administration, we fabricated supramolecular nanovectors containing dual natural medicines to prevent gastric mucosal lesions. Nanovectors exhibited superior intestinal absorption and bioavailability, which might be due to their high dispersion, good muco-adhesiveness, blood-lymph circulation transport, lipid sensing, and protective effects. Molecular docking results clarified the possible mechanisms in aspects of efflux pump (p-glycoprotein and multidrug resistance protein 1) inhibition effects, metabolic enzyme (cytochrome P450 3A4/1A2) blocking effects, serum albumin deposit effects, and dual drug interaction effects. Nanovectors decreased ethanol-induced gastric mucosal lesions by lowering the gastric ulcer index, preventing oxidative damage, decreasing interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and malondialdehyde, increasing glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and prostaglandin E2 levels. The interactions of inhibitor of nuclear factor-κB or κB kinase-related proteins and dual drugs or nanovector components were simulated computationally to provide an understanding of the gastro-protective action mechanism. In all, industrializable supramolecular nanovectors could effectively co-deliver dual natural medicines via the oral route by improving the pharmacokinetic behavior and exerting protective efficacy of the gastric mucosa by decreasing the oxidative stress and inflammatory level.

Mitigating Psychological Trauma on Adult Burn Patients Based on Virtual Reality Technology of Smart Medical Treatment.

Virtual reality (VR) is one of the hot spots in the computer network world in recent years, which has attracted more and more people's attention. This study mainly explores the effect of mitigating the psychological trauma of adult burn patients based on the VR technology of smart medical treatment. First, the EEG data are sent to the data processing module through a wireless protocol; then, the data processing module denoises the EEG data and performs feature extraction and feedback parameter calculation; after that, these parameters will be sent to the VR interaction engine; based on this, these parameters change the VR scene to capture and reflect the physiological activities of the patient's brain in real time; finally, the patient uses the VR scene content presented by the real-time feedback of the captured EEG signal as a guide to making self-adjustment in time, and the electrical signal of captured brain at this time is again transmitted to the next work cycle and continues to feed back and present new VR interactive scenes to guide and intervene in the patient's self-regulation behavior. The VR feedback training module is responsible for receiving the characteristic data calculated from the EEG acquisition and processing module and converts it into parameter variables that control the VR intervention system. The system user adjusts the state according to the feedback information displayed in the VR scene and generates new EEG signals to promote the realization of self-adjustment. The biofeedback training based on EEG feeds back the intuitive EEG state to the patient, prompting them to learn how to realize self-regulation and achieve the purpose of adjusting the level of mental health. The degree of itching and pain in the VR treatment group was alleviated, and compared with the normal training treatment results, it was statistically significant (P > 0.05). This study has a positive effect on the psychological intervention of patients with facial injuries.

miR-21-5p promotes cell proliferation and G1/S transition in melanoma by targeting CDKN2C.

Human melanoma is a highly malignant tumor originating from cutaneous melanocytes. The noncoding RNA microRNA (miR)-21-5p has been reported to be expressed at high levels in malignant melanocytic skin tissues, but its potential functional role in melanoma remains poorly understood. Here, we explored the cellular effects of miR-21-5p on melanoma in vitro and the underlying mechanisms. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to show that miR-21-5p is significantly up-regulated in clinical samples from patients with melanoma as compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues. Overexpression of miR-21-5p significantly enhanced, whereas knockdown attenuated, cell proliferation and G1/S transition in melanoma cell lines (A375 and M14). Luciferase reporter assays were used to show that the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2C (CDKN2C) is a downstream target of miR-21-5p. Furthermore, miR-21-5p mimics resulted in a decrease in CDKN2C expression, and CDKN2C expression was observed to be inversely correlated with miR-21-5p expression in melanoma tissues. Rescue experiments were performed to show that overexpression of CDKN2C partially reversed the effects of miR-21-5p up-regulation on A375 cells. Consistently, knockdown of CDKN2C abolished the effects of miR-21-5p down-regulation on A375 cells. Overall, our studies demonstrate that miR-21-5p can promote the growth of melanoma cells by targeting CDKN2C, which may induce G0/G1 phase arrest of melanoma cells.

Highly selective antenna effect of graphene quantum dots (GQDs): A new fluorescent sensitizer for rare earth element terbium in aqueous media.

This study focused on the fluorescence antenna-sensitizing effect of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) in a case on the detection of terbium ions. A simple one-step chemical oxidation method was applied for the preparation of GQDs starting from the regular multilayer graphene oxide (GO) via the refluxing in a concentrated mixture of strong acids. The as-prepared GQDs were further evaluated as a fluorescent sensitizer to the terbium ion. An expanded in-deep mechanism study on the fluorescence phenomena during the interaction of the as-prepared GQDs and REEs was made. The highly selective antenna effect of GQDs on one of REEs' aqueous media, which was terbium (III), was identified. The excited terbium ion emitted its long-living fluorescence based on its own characteristic line-typed f-f transition, contrasting to a undetectable fluorescence in a very poor quantum yield in its aqueous solution induced by water collisions. This study, in the first place, identified the significant sensitization effect of the as-prepared GQDs on the terbium ion in a high selectivity in aqueous media. The detectable linear range and the detection limit of the terbium ion was 0-30 × 10-6 mol L-1 (R2 = 0.9960) of 0.3 × 10-6 mol L-1, respectively. The excitation wavelength and the optimal fluorescence wavelength were 230 nm 546 nm, respectively. Further material characterizations, involving XPS, FTIR, Raman and the Zeta potential, verified the important participation of carboxyl function groups on the as-prepared GQDs.

Short-Term Versus 6-Week Prednisone In The Treatment Of Subacute Thyroiditis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Moderate-to-severe subacute thyroiditis is clinically managed with 6 to 8 weeks of glucocorticoid therapy. However, no studies have evaluated short-term prednisone treatment for subacute thyroiditis. METHODS: This 24-week, prospective, single-blind, randomized controlled study enrolled patients (aged 18 to 70 years) with subacute thyroiditis who were hospitalized between August, 2013, and December, 2014. Patients with moderate-to-severe symptoms were randomly assigned to receive either 30 mg/day prednisone for 1 week, followed by 1 week of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or the conventional 6-week prednisone therapy. The primary endpoint was intergroup differences in treatment efficacy at the end of the treatment course. Secondary endpoints included between-group differences in post-withdrawal adverse effect parameters and thyroid function at weeks 6, 12, and 24. RESULTS: We screened 96 patients, randomized 52 participants, and 50 participants completed the study. Efficacy and recurrence rates were not significantly different at withdrawal in both groups (P = .65). At treatment discontinuation, parathyroid hormone (28.8 versus 38.9 pg/mL; P = .011) and systolic blood pressure (113.9 versus 122.4mm Hg; P = .023) were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group. There were no significant intergroup differences in other secondary endpoints at withdrawal and in thyroid function at weeks 6, 12, and 24. CONCLUSION: Fewer side effects of glucocorticoids and similar efficacy and recurrence rates were observed with short-term prednisone compared with the 6-week treatment for subacute thyroiditis. Short-term prednisone, with a better safety profile, may be an alternative strategy for ameliorating moderate-to-severe symptoms of subacute thyroiditis. ABBREVIATIONS: BPPG = breakfast postprandial plasma glucose; CRP = C-reactive protein; ESR = erythrocyte sedimentation rate; FPG = fasting plasma glucose; FT3 = free triiodothyronine; FT4 = free thyroxine; GA = glycated albumin; NSAIDs = nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; OC = osteocalcin; PINP = type I procollagen amino-terminal peptide; PTH = parathyroid hormone; RCT = randomized controlled trial; SAT = subacute thyroiditis; SBP = systolic blood pressure; TC = total cholesterol; TSH = thyroid-stimulating hormone; TBG = thyroid-binding globulin; TG = triglyceride; TGAb = antithyroglobulin antibody; TPOAb = antithyroid peroxidase antibody; TRAb = antithyroid-stimulating hormone receptor antibody.

Leaching kinetics of cobalt from the scraps of spent aerospace magnetic materials.

Based on physicochemical properties of the scraps of spent aerospace magnetic materials, a roasting - magnetic separation followed by sulfuric acid leaching process was proposed to extract cobalt. Roasting was performed at 500 °C to remove organic impurity. Non-magnetic impurities were reduced by magnetic separation and then the raw material was sieved into desired particle sizes. Acid leaching was carried out to extract cobalt from the scraps and experimental parameters included agitation speed, particle size, initial concentration of sulfuric acid and temperature. Agitation speed higher than 300 r/min had a relatively small impact on the cobalt extraction. As the particle size reduced, the content of cobalt in the raw material decreases and the extraction of cobalt by acid leaching increased at first and decreased afterwards. Raising the initial concentration of sulfuric acid and temperature contributed to improve the cobalt extraction and the influence of temperature was more remarkable. SEM image revealed that the spent aerospace magnetic materials mainly existed in the sliced strip flake with a loose surface and porous structure. Under the experimental condition, the leaching rate of cobalt from the scraps in sulfuric acid solution could be expressed as ln(-ln(1 - α)) = lnk + nlnt. The apparent activation energy was found to be 38.33 kJ/mol and it was mainly controlled by the surface chemical reaction.

Inhibition of mouse B16 melanoma by sodium butyrate correlated to tumor associated macrophages differentiation suppression.

OBJECTIVE: As one member of the histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) family, Sodium butyrate (NaB) was found out that could be used as a differentiation inducer of much cancer cell. But its effects on tumor microenvironment cells are not well recognized. The goal of this research is to investigate the effect of NaB on B16 melanoma and analysis its relevant mechanism. METHODS: We observed the effect of sodium butyrate on B16 melanoma in vivo and in vitro. MTT method was performed to detect cell apoptosis rate after treatment. Tumor associated macrophage infiltration condition was detected by flow cytometry. Western-blotting and immunohistochemical method were used to detect the expression of tumor associated macrophage cytokines. RESULTS: A certain concentration of sodium butyrate could effectively inhibit B16 melanoma growth in vivo and in vitro, and this inhibition effects related to the suppression of tumor associated macrophage differentiation. At the same time we observed the relevant macrophage factors were down-regulated compared to the control. CONCLUSION: Sodium butyrate could effectively inhibit B16 melanoma growth through suppressing tumor associated macrophage proliferation and reduce relevant pro-tumor macrophage factors expression, which may help to promote the clinical study of melanoma epigenetic therapy.

Photophysical study of a polyoxo ethylene linked naphthalene-based fluorescent chemosensor for Mg2+ and Ca2+ detection.

A naphthalene-based bichromophoric fluorescent sensor 2,2'-[oxy-bis(2-oxatetramethyleneoxy)]-bis[N-(2-naphthyl)-benzamide)] (1) was synthesized and characterized. Fluorescence decay for 1 in alcoholic solvents in the region of 415-460 nm revealed bi-exponential behavior. The faster component of the decay can be attributed to the formation of dimers. Above 480 nm, besides the dimer, there is also a little excimer formation and this excimer emits at longer wavelengths than the dimer. The observation of the change of the fluorescence emission spectra upon addition of water in EtOH-water mixtures is in line with the formation of water-bridged complexes preventing excimer formation. The sensor shows an increase in fluorescence intensity upon increasing Mg(2+) or Ca(2+) concentration in EtOH because the formation of the excimer can be hindered upon complexation with Mg(2+) or Ca(2+) ions. Because of the competition between hydrated metal ions and the water-bridged complex, spectral changes by complexation with Mg(2+) or Ca(2+) in EtOH-H2O (9 : 1 v/v) are quite different from those in neat ethanol. The ground-state dissociation constant K(d) estimated for the complex with Mg(2+) or Ca(2+) was found to be around 2.0 mM in EtOH-H2O (9 : 1 v/v), which makes it suitable for the measurement of the concentrations of these ions in physiologically relevant concentration ranges.

Automated analysis of investigational near-infrared fluorescence lymphatic imaging in humans.

ALFIA (Automated Lymphatic Function Imaging Analysis), an algorithm providing quantitative analysis of investigational near-infrared fluorescence lymphatic images, is described. Images from nine human subjects were analyzed for apparent lymphatic propagation velocities and propulsion periods using manual analysis and ALFIA. While lymphatic propulsion was more easily detected using ALFIA than with manual analysis, statistical analyses indicate no significant difference in the apparent lymphatic velocities although ALFIA tended to calculate longer propulsion periods. With the base ALFIA algorithms validated, further automation can now proceed to provide a clinically relevant analytic tool for quantitatively assessing lymphatic function in humans.

Sterol composition in field-grown and cultured mycelia of Inonotus obliquus.

Sterols are one of the active classes of compounds in Inonotus obliquus for their effective therapy of many diseases. In field environment, this fungus accumulates large amount of sterols. In cultured mycelia, however, this class of compounds is less accumulated. For analyzing the factors responsible for differing sterol composition, the field-grown and cultured mycelia were extracted with 80% ethanol at room temperature and total sterols were prepared using silicon gel column chromatography followed by identification using either GC-MS or spectroscopic methods. For culturing Inonotus obliquus, the seed culture was grown either in basic medium consisting of glucose (2%), yeast extract (0.5%), KH2PO4 (0.01%), MgSO4.7H20 (0.05%) and distilled water at pH 6.5, or the basic medium supplemented with serial concentrations of AgNO3. The results indicated that field-grown mycelia contained lanosterol and inotodiol (comprised 45. 47% and 25. 36% of the total sterols, respectively) and other 10 sterols (comprising the remaining 30.17%) including ergosterol biosynthetic intermediates such as 24-methylene dihydrolanosterol, 4,4-dimethylfecosterol, 4-methyl fecosterol, fecosterol and episterol. Column chromatography also led to the isolation of lanosterol, Inotodiol, trametenolic acid, foscoparianol B and a new triterpenoid foscoparianol D in field-grown mycelia. In comparison, the cultured mycelia only contained three sterols with ergosterol as the predominant one (82.20%). Lanosterol only accounted for 3.68%. Supplementing Ag+ into the culture at 0.28 micromol x L(-1) greatly enhanced content of lanosterol (accounting for 56.81%) and decreased the content of ergosterol (18.5%) together with the presence of intermediates for ergosterol biosynthesis. These results suggested that the sterol composition in mycelia of the fungus can be diversified by supplementing substances inhibiting enzymatic process towards the synthesis of ergosterol. Harsh growth conditions in field environment (i.e. temperature variation, UV irradiation etc.) can delay the synthesis of ergosterol and hereby diversify the sterol composition in the mycelia of Inonotus obliquus.