Association of maternal blood high-mobility group box 1 levels and adverse pregnancy outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Conflicting findings have emerged regarding the levels of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) in individuals experiencing adverse pregnancy outcomes. Here we conducted a meta-analysis to assess the association between maternal blood HMGB1 levels and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Utilizing databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, Embase and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), a systematic literature search was conducted in January 2024. Eligible literature was screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Quality assessment was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The extracted data were analyzed using Review Manager 5.4 and STATA 12.0 software. 21 observational studies with a total of 2471 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Significantly higher peripheral blood levels of HMGB1 were associated with preeclampsia (PE) (SMD=1.34; 95% CI: 0.72-1.95; P < 0.0001) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) (SMD=1.20; 95% CI: 0.31-2.09; P = 0.009). Additionally, HMGB1 levels in peripheral blood were significantly elevated in patients with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA) than those in pregnancy controls (SMD=4.22; 95% CI: 1.64-6.80; P = 0.001) or non-pregnancy controls (SMD=3.87; 95% CI: 1.81-5.92; P = 0.0002). Interestingly, higher blood HMGB1 levels were observed in women with preterm birth (PTB), however, the results did not reach a statistical difference (SMD=0.54; 95% CI: -0.36-1.44; P = 0.24). In conclusion, overexpressed maternal blood HMGB1 levels were associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, including PE, GDM and URSA. Further studies should be conducted to validate the efficacy of HMGB1 as a biomarker for assessing the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Association between high-mobility group box 1 levels and preeclampsia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Previous studies had demonstrated that high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) levels were elevated in preeclampsia (PE). However, the conclusion remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the association between blood and placenta HMGB1 levels and PE in pregnant women. METHODS: After a systematic literature search, eligible literature was screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently by two reviewers. The extracted data were analyzed using Review Manager 5.4 and STATA 12.0 software. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression analysis were conducted to find potential sources of heterogeneity. RESULTS: Twelve studies were included, with a total of 1145 participants. Compared with normal pregnancies, pregnant women with PE had significantly higher blood HMGB1 levels (SMD = 1.34, 95% CI: 0.72-1.95, p < 0.0001). Similarly, the expression of placental HMGB1 in PE was higher than that in normal controls by using Western blot (MD = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.27-0.47, p < 0.00001) or immunohistochemistry (OR = 6.36, 95% CI: 1.48-27.25, p = 0.01). In addition, the blood HMGB1 levels were positively correlated with the severity of PE, with higher blood HMGB1 levels in severe PE than those in mild PE (SMD = 3.35, 95% CI: 0.63-6.06, p = 0.02). The subgroup analysis indicated a close association of blood HMGB1 with PE in the Asian group, but not in the European group. CONCLUSION: Both blood and placental HMGB1 levels in patients with PE were significantly elevated, and higher blood HMGB1 levels indicated a more serious disease condition, suggesting that higher levels of HMGB1 were associated with the risk of PE.

Repeated Low-Level Red-Light Therapy for Controlling Onset and Progression of Myopia-a Review.

Repeated low-level red-light (RLRL), characterized by increased energy supply and cellular metabolism, thus enhancing metabolic repair processes, has gained persistent worldwide attention in recent years as a new novel scientific approach for therapeutic application in myopia. This therapeutic revolution led by RLRL therapy is due to significant advances in bioenergetics and photobiology, for instance, enormous progresses in photobiomodulation regulated by cytochrome c oxidase, the primary photoreceptor of the light in the red to near infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, as the primary mechanism of action in RLRL therapy. This oxidase is also a key mitochondrial enzyme for cellular bioenergetics, especially for the nerve cells in the retina and brain. In addition, dopamine (DA)-enhanced release of nitric oxide may also be involved in controlling myopia by activation of nitric oxide synthase, enhancing cGMP signaling. Recent evidence has also suggested that RLRL may inhibit myopia progression by inhibiting spherical equivalent refraction (SER) progression and axial elongation without adverse effects. In this review, we provide scientific evidence for RLRL therapy as a unique paradigm to control myopia and support the theory that targeting neuronal energy metabolism may constitute a major target for the neurotherapeutics of myopia, with emphasis on its molecular, cellular, and nervous tissue levels, and the potential benefits of RLRL therapy for myopia.

GRg1 inhibits the TLR4/NF-kB signaling pathway by upregulating miR-216a-5p to reduce growth factors and inflammatory cytokines in DR.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common diabetic neurodegenerative disease that affects vision in severe cases. Current therapeutic drugs are ineffective for some patients with severe side effects, and ginsenoside-Rg1 (GRg1) has been shown to protect against DR and may serve as a new potential drug for DR. This study aimed to confirm the protective effect of GRg1 against DR and its molecular mechanism. METHODS: Human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (hRMECs) and rats were used to construct DR models in vitro and in vivo. Cell proliferation was detected by BrdU assays, the cell cycle was detected by flow cytometry, and TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß levels were detected by ELISA. qRT‒PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression of related genes and proteins, and angiogenesis assays were used to assess angiogenesis. RIP and RNA pull down assays were used to determine the relationship between miR-216a-5p and TLR4; retinal structure and changes were observed by HE staining and retinal digestive spread assays. RESULTS: GRg1 effectively inhibited HG-induced hRMEC proliferation, cell cycle progression and angiogenesis and reduced the levels of intracellular inflammatory cytokines and growth factors. HG downregulated the expression of miR-216a-5p and upregulated the expression of TLR4/NF-kB signaling pathway-related proteins. Importantly, GRg1 inhibited TLR4/NF-kB signaling pathway activation by upregulating miR-216a-5p, thereby inhibiting HG-induced cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, angiogenesis, and the production of inflammatory cytokines and growth factors. In addition, animal experiments confirmed the results of the cell experiments. CONCLUSIONS: GRg1 inhibits TLR4/NF-kB signaling by upregulating miR-216a-5p to reduce growth factors and inflammatory cytokines in DR, providing a potential therapeutic strategy for DR.

Circular RNA EIF3I promotes papillary thyroid cancer progression by interacting with AUF1 to increase Cyclin D1 production.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play an important role in regulating the development of human cancers through diverse biological functions. However, the exact molecular mechanisms underlying the role of circRNAs in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) remain largely unknown. Here, we found that hsa_circ_0011385, designated as circular eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit I (circEIF3I), preferentially localized in the cytoplasm of PTC cells and was more stable than its linear counterpart, EIF3I. Gain- and loss-of-function studies indicated that circEIF3I promoted PTC progression by facilitating cell proliferation, cell cycle, cell migration, and invasion in vitro, as well as PTC cell proliferation in vivo. Mechanistically, circEIF3I interacted with AU-rich element (ARE) RNA-binding factor 1 (AUF1) in the cytoplasm of PTC cells, thus reducing the degradation of Cyclin D1 mRNA and increasing Cyclin D1 protein production, ultimately resulting in PTC progression. Collectively, our results demonstrate the vital role of circEIF3I in PTC progression, supporting its significance as a potential therapeutic target.

Clinical features of Helveston syndrome and discussion of individualized surgical design.

Background: Reasonable personalized surgical design can achieve good treatment results for Helveston syndrome in one surgery, reducing the psychological and economic burden on patients. This article aims to explore the clinical characteristics of Helveston syndrome and the clinical effectiveness and feasibility of individualized surgical design. Methods: In this retrospective case series study, 28 patients who underwent strabismus correction for Helveston syndrome at the Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University from June 2018 to December 2020 with complete follow-up data were enrolled. Preoperatively, all patients received standard assessment of vision, intraocular pressure, slit lamp, fundus and refractive status, excluding other eye diseases, as well as detailed special examination of strabismus. These patients were divided into two groups according to the surgical modality: the horizontal muscle surgery alone group and the horizontal muscle surgery combined with superior oblique muscle surgery (combined surgery) group. We used SPSS software for data analysis and compared the postoperative eye position, eye movement, success rate, and reoperation rate between these two groups. Clinical measurement data were compared and analyzed with Fisher's exact test for count data, the t-test for normally distributed measurement data, and the Mann-Whitney U test for non-normally distributed measurement data. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: This study included a total of 28 patients with Helveston syndrome, including 20 males and 8 females. The average age at the time of surgery is 12.04 ± 8.67 years (range, 4-43 years). The postoperative A-pattern degree was significantly greater in the group undergoing horizontal muscle surgery alone [6.23±1.31 prism diopters (PD); range, 0-10 PD] than in the group undergoing combined surgery (0.53±0.32 PD; range, 0-4 PD; P=0.002). Superior oblique muscle overactivity was significantly reduced in the combined surgery group (0.20±0.11+; range, 0-1+) compared to the horizontal muscle surgery alone group (1.31±0.26+; range, 0-2+; P=0.002). However, there was no significant difference in success rate or reoperation rate between the two groups. Additionally, after combining the recession of the superior rectus muscle with the horizontal muscle, the number of A-pattern degrees was greatly reduced. Conclusions: Helveston syndrome can be improved using a personalized surgical design according to the degree of external strabismus A-pattern, superior oblique muscle overaction, and dissociated vertical deviation (DVD) degree, which improves the success rate of single surgery.

0.05% atropine on control of myopia progression in Chinese school children: a randomized 3-year clinical trial.

AIM: To evaluate the effect of 0.05% atropine on the control of myopia for 2y (phase I) and on spherical equivalent refraction (SER) progression for 1y (phase II) after its withdrawal in Chinese myopic children. METHODS: Totally 142 children with myopia were randomly assigned to the 0.05% atropine group or to the placebo group. In phase I, children received 1 treatment for each eye daily. In phase II, the patients received no treatment. Axial length (AL), SER, intraocular pressure (IOP) and atropine-related side effects were assessed at 6 months' intervals. RESULTS: During phase I, the mean change of SER was -0.46±0.30 D in the atropine group, compared to -1.72±1.12 D in the placebo group (P<0.001). The mean change of AL in the atropine group (0.26±0.30 mm) was significantly shorter than that in the placebo group (0.76±0.62 mm, P=0.002). In addition, in phase II (12mo after the withdrawal of atropine), there was no significant difference in AL change from the atropine group, when compared with that from the placebo group (0.31±0.25 mm vs 0.28±0.26 mm, P>0.05). Furthermore, the change in SER from the atropine group was 0.50±0.41 D, which was significantly lower than 0.72±0.60 D from placebo group, (P<0.05). Finally, there were no statistically significant differences in IOP between the treatment and control groups at any stages (all P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The use of 0.05% atropine for two consecutive years may effectively control elongation of AL and thus progression of myopia, without significant SER progression 1y after atropine withdrawal. Therefore, treatment with 0.05% atropine daily for 2y is effective and safe.

Effects of Long-Term Wear and Discontinuation of Orthokeratology Lenses on the Eyeball Parameters in Children with Myopia.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of long-term wear and discontinuation of the orthokeratology lenses (Orth-K) on the biological parameters of eyeballs in children with myopia. Methods: In this prospective study, a total of 308 subjects with myopia were randomized to receive Orth-K (n = 154) or single vision spectacles (SVS) (n = 154) for 12 months followed by a 1-month withdrawal period. The axial length (AL), the central corneal thickness (CCT), the anterior chamber depth (ACD) and the central lens thickness (CLT) were assessed at the baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 13 months (1-month after lens withdrawal). Results: A total of 279 subjects completed the 13-month follow-up (142 in Orth-K group and 137 in SVS group). No statistical difference was noted in AL, CCT, ACD and CLT between the two groups at the baseline (all p > 0.05). However, compared with the baseline, the AL from the two groups became elongated 12 months after wearing Orth-K or SVS. The increase of AL in Orth-K group was 0.22 ± 0.11 mm, significantly smaller than 0.35 ± 0.08 mm in SVS group (p < 0.05). In addition, CCT in Orth-K group was 544.26 ± 11.69 µm at 12 months, significantly thinner than 550.49 ± 12.13 µm in SVS group (p < 0.05). Interestingly, the change in CCT between the baseline and 1-month after withdrawal of the lens was not statistically different in either group (all p > 0.05). Furthermore, at 12-months, CLT in Orth-K group was 3.35 ± 0.21 mm, significantly thicker than 3.31 ± 0.15 mm at baseline and thicker than 3.30 ± 0.05 mm in SVS group at 12 months (all p < 0.05). Lastly, ACD was not statistically different between Orth-K and SVS groups at any time point (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Orthokeratology lenses can effectively retard axial elongation, reversibly reduce CCT, increase CLT in myopic children, but have no obvious effect on ACD, indicating that Orth-K may significantly retard myopia without noticeable myopia rebound after interruption of Orth-K.

Ginsenoside Rg1 Inhibits High Glucose-Induced Proliferation, Migration, and Angiogenesis in Retinal Endothelial Cells by Regulating the lncRNA SNHG7/miR-2116-5p/SIRT3 Axis.

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR), including retinal angiogenesis and endothelial cell proliferation and migration, is a serious complication in diabetic patients. It has been reported that ginsenoside Rg1 can prevent retinal damage. However, the mechanism by which Rg1 prevents retinal damage is unknown. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanism by which Rg1 inhibits high glucose-induced complications through the regulation of the lncRNA SNHG7/miR-2116-5p/SIRT3 axis. Methods: Under high glucose (HG) conditions, human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs) were cultured to simulate a DR environment, and Rg1 was added after 48 h. Negative control (NC), miR-2116-5p mimic, si-SNHG7, pc-DNA SIRT3, and miR-2116-5p inhibitor were transfected into HRECs, and CCK-8 assay was used to detect the cell viability. Angiogenesis and transwell assays were used to evaluate angiogenesis and cell migration, respectively. qRT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression of related genes and proteins. Luciferase reporter assays and bioinformatics were used to analyze the target binding sites of miR-2116-5p to lncRNA SNHG7 and SIRT3. Results: The proliferation, migration and angiogenesis of HRECs were induced by HG. As expected, HG upregulated miR-2116-5p and VEGF expression but downregulated lncRNA SNHG7 and SIRT3 expression. Importantly, Rg1 inhibited HG-induced HREC proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis by upregulating the lncRNA SNHG7, and miR-2116-5p had a target regulatory relationship with both lncRNA SNHG7 and SIRT3. Conclusion: Rg1 inhibits HG-induced proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, and VEGF expression in retinal endothelial cells through the lncRNA SNG7/miR-2116-5p/SIRT3 axis. This finding provides theoretical evidence for the clinical application of Rg1 in DR.

Application of multistage induced electric field for acid hydrolysis of starch in a continuous-flow reactor.

Herein, a multistage induced electric field (IEF) combined with a continuous-flow reactor was utilized to assist the acid hydrolysis of corn, potato, and waxy corn starch for avoiding plate corrosion and heavy metal leakage. It was found that adding IEF stages was beneficial to improve the hydrolysis efficiency. Treating potato, corn, and waxy corn starch via continuous-flow IEF increased the reducing sugar contents up to 78.76 %, 57.86 %, and 66.18 %, respectively. The electrical conductivity of starch grew with the reaction stages, while starch yield demonstrated the opposite trend. Treated starch had higher solubility and gelatinization peak temperature than native starch, with the gelatinization enthalpy showing fluctuations. Meanwhile, the swelling power decreased as the number of IEF stages was increased. Observations of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy indicated that the treated starch became more ordered, and crystalline regions were destroyed to various degrees with pores forming on particle surfaces. These variations could be attributed to acid hydrolysis and IEF.

Effect of a Single Simulated 500 m Saturation Dive on Lung Function.

Background: Whether deep saturation diving causes injury to lung function remains controversial and the mechanism is unclear. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of a 500 m simulated single saturation dive on lung function. Methods: A retrospective study was performed in nine professional divers who spent 176 h in a high-pressure environment simulating a depth of 500-m saturation dive (51 atm, 5.02 Mpa). Pulmonary function parameters were investigated and compared before and on 3 days after the dive. Results: Nine professional divers aged (36 ± 7) years were enrolled. Three days after the dive, the parameters related to expiratory flow (forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC)) were decreased; the parameters related to small airway function (forced expiratory flow at 50%, 75% of FVC exhaled and forced mid-expiratory flow) were decreased compared with those before the dive (both p < 0.05). Additionally, after the dive, the parameters related to pulmonary diffusion function were decreased compared with those before the dive (both p < 0.05). The parameters related to lung volume (residual volume, vital capacity and total lung volume) and those related to respiratory exertion (peak expiratory flow and forced expiratory flow at 75% of FVC exhaled) were not significantly different between after and before the dive. Two divers with small airway dysfunction before the dive had obstructive ventilatory dysfunction after the dive. Additionally, mild obstructive ventilatory dysfunction in three divers before the dive became severe after the dive. After a bronchial dilation test, five divers showed improvement of FEV1, which ranged from 0.10 to 0.55 L. Chest radiographs and echocardiography of all divers were normal after diving. Conclusion: 500 m simulated saturation diving induces a decrease in small airway function and diffusion function. This injury may be associated with small airway and diffusion membrane lesions.

MicroRNA-592 serves as a novel tumor suppressor in Uveal melanoma: bioinformatics analysis and in vitro cell function verification.

Uveal melanoma (UVM), one common eye tumor in adults, is related with a high risk of metastasis and poor prognosis. Studies have shown that many miRNAs are abnormally expressed in UVM tissues, and play an important regulatory role in the cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of UVM. Therefore, it is of great significance to analyze the expression characteristics of microRNAs (miRNAs) in UVM and clarify the role of miRNA in the tumorigenesis and development of UVM. In this study, we firstly downloaded and analyzed miRNA expression data of UVM tissues in TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) database to select the differential expressed miRNAs in different clinical stages (IIA, IIB, IIIA, IIIB, IV). Compared with other stages, microRNA-592 (miR-592) was up-regulated in stage IV UVM patients. Then we used several bioinformatics tools including miRbase, miRDB, RNA22 and TargetScan, and found that it was be conserved in different species. Cell viability was determined by Cell Counting Kit-8. The proliferation and invasion of MUM-2B and C819 cells was measured using Edu assay and Transwell assay. We found that silencing miR-592 enhanced the progression of UVM cells, while miR592 overexpression inhibited the cell growth and invasion. The target genes of miR-592 were predicted by three webservers (miRDB, RNA22, and TargetScan), and verified by Real-Time PCR (qPCR). This is the first study to explore the role of miR-592 in malignant progression of UVM by bioinformatics and cell experiments. Our study suggests that tumor suppressor miR-592 may function as potential therapeutic target and biomarker for UVM.

Compared with other clinical stages of UVM, miR-592 was found highly expressed in Stage IV.Down-regulating miR-592 can promote the progression of UVM cells, while its overexpression inhibits the cell growth and invasion.STAT1, RBBP4, and DLG4 may be the target genes of miR-592 in UVM.

Prenatal Identification and Confirmation of Jacobsen Syndrome: A Series of Four Cases.

Jacobsen syndrome (JBS) is a rare contiguous gene disorder caused by partial deletion of the distal part of the long arm of chromosome 11. Only a few prenatal cases of JBS have been reported, and data on prenatal ultrasonographic findings are relatively scarce. We analysed four cases of JBS diagnosed prenatally in our centre. All four cases received ultrasound examination in the second trimester. Cardiac defects and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) were present in three cases. Ventriculomegaly, shortened femur length and pyelectasis were found in two cases. According to the literature, IUGR, pyelectasis and ventriculomegaly are common prenatal phenotypes of JBS. In addition, cardiac defects, trigonocephaly and shortened femur are also found. Our presentation of these cases provides more ultrasonic information for the prenatal diagnosis of this rare disease. Key Words: Ultrasound, Prenatal diagnosis, Jacobsen syndrome, Chromosomal abnormalities, Fetal malformation.

Optimization of combined microwave and hot air drying technology for purple cabbage by Response Surface Methodology (RSM).

Purple cabbage is one of the world's most widely consumed vegetables with high nutritional values containing the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory activity of anthocyanins, vitamins, and minerals. But due to rapid postharvest quality decay, novel processing techniques including drying are required. In order to determine the conditions of combined microwave and hot air drying for purple cabbage, factors affecting the drying process including microwave density, hot air temperature, and the dry base water content at conversion point were investigated using the anthocyanin content, DPPH antioxidant capacity, chewiness, △E, rehydration ratio, and average drying rate as responses. The combined drying conditions were optimized considering three independent variables at three different levels by response surface methodology. The results showed that the processing parameters of purple cabbage with combined microwave and hot air drying technology were microwave density at 2.5 W/g, moisture content of conversion point at 4.0 g/g, and hot air temperature at 55°C. Under these conditions, the anthocyanin content, DPPH antioxidant capacity, chewiness, △E, rehydration ratio, average drying rate, and overall score of the dried purple cabbage were 175.87 mg/100 g, 87.59%, 4,521.468 g, 26.5, 4.3, 0.76 g/min, and 0.785, respectively. Therefore, combined microwave and hot air drying technology is an effective, suitable method for drying purple cabbage.

[Prediction of postoperative visual acuity in cataract patients with idiopathic macular epiretinal membrane by hand-held retinal optometer and optical coherence tomography].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of hand-held retinal optometer and optical coherence tomography (OCT) in predicting postoperative visual acuity in patients with age-related cataract and idiopathic macular epiretinal membrane. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients undergoing phacoemulsification combined with intraocular lens implantation for age-related cataract in our hospital from January, 2019 to April, 2020.Preoperative examination detected idiopathic macular epiretinal membrane in 45 of the patients (52 eyes) with lens opacity grade C2N2P1 according to LOCSⅡ lens opacity classification criteria.Based on the thickness of the macular fovea, the eyes were divided into group A (9 eyes) with macular thickness < 300 µm by OCT examination, group B (25 eyes) with macular thickness of 300 to 400 µm, and group C (18 eyes) with macular thickness >400 µm.The best corrected visual acuity and retinal visual acuity before operation and the best corrected visual acuity on the first day and at 3 months after the surgery were compared among the 3 groups.The consistency between the preoperative retinal vision and the best corrected vision at 3 months after the surgery was analyzed. RESULTS: The best corrected visual acuity at one day and 3 months after the surgery differed significantly from that before the surgery in all the 3 groups (P < 0.05).The best corrected visual acuity recovered to 0.3-0.5 in most of the patients in the 3 groups. Thirty-one (91.18%) of the patients with a macular thickness less than 400 µm had a visual acuity≥0.3 after cataract surgery, as compared with only 14 patients (77.78%) among those with a macular thickness >400 µm.There was a positive linear correlation between preoperative retinal visual acuity and best corrected visual acuity at 3 months after the surgery (r=0.830, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: For patients with cataract and idiopathic macular epiretinal membrane, phacoemulsification combined with intraocular lens implantation can improve postoperative vision.Hand-held retinal optometer can accurately assess postoperative vision in patients with stage C2N2P1 cataract.Patients with a macular thickness >400 µm caused by idiopathic macular epiretinal membrane are likely to have poor postoperative visual outcomes.

Modification of corn starch via innovative contactless thermal effect from induced electric field.

Growing attention has been focused on modifications of starch using electric field, but electrode corrosion and metal contamination remain unavoidable during the process. To solve these problems, the magneto-induced electric field was used to assist corn starch hydrolysis due to its thermal effect. Results indicated that the method accelerated corn starch acid hydrolysis and decreased the treatment time. The reducing sugar content increased to 0.59 g/L after a 60 s treatment, which was 353.44 % higher than the 20 s treatment, while the average degree of polymerization reached a minimum. The treated starch showed increased solubility and swelling power, as well as decreased freeze-thaw stability. X-ray diffraction, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy results suggested that the physicochemical changes of corn starch were due to the thermal effect of the induced electric field. This study is expected to provide an important basis for applying new electric field hydrolysis technology to starch modification.

miR-200-3p suppresses cell proliferation and reduces apoptosis in diabetic retinopathy via blocking the TGF-ß2/Smad pathway.

Increasing evidence has shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR). However, the role and mechanism of miRNA in regulating high glucose (HG)-induced ARPE-19 cell injury are still not well understood. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of miR-200a-3p on DR progression and reveal the underlying mechanisms of their effects. In the present study, we observed that miR-200a-3p was significantly decreased, while transforming growth factor-ß2 (TGF-ß2) expression was up-regulated in ARPE-19 cells treated with HG and retina tissues of DR rats. Subsequently, overexpression of miR-200a-3p significantly promoted cell proliferation, reduced apoptosis, as well as inhibited the levels of inflammatory cytokines secreted, matrix metalloprotease 2/9 (MMP2/9), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in HG-injured ARPE-19 cells. Moreover, miR-200a-3p was proved to target TGF-ß2 mRNA by binding to its 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) using a luciferase reporter assay. Mechanistically, overexpression of miR-200a-3p reduced HG-induced ARPE-19 cell injury and reduced inflammatory cytokines secreted, as well as down-regulated the expression of VEGF via inactivation of the TGF-ß2/Smad pathway in vitro. In vivo experiments, up-regulation of miR-200a-3p ameliorated retinal neovascularization and inflammation of DR rats. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that miR-200a-3p-elevated prevented DR progression by blocking the TGF-ß2/Smad pathway, providing a new therapeutic biomarker for DR treatment in the clinic.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles from Cyperus rotundus attenuates diabetic retinopathy by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

Diabetic retinopathy (DRP) is a retinal disease caused by diabetes mellitus, which is categorized by microvascular lesions present in the retina such as vascular leakage, vascular proliferation, and retinal ischemia. The plan of the present study was to the synthesis of Cyperus rotundus-loaded zinc oxide nanoparticles (CR-ZnONPs) which was confirmed by the various characterization methods such as UV-vis spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscope, and X-ray diffraction. Also, the effect of CR-ZnONPs on DRP-induced rats was determined by food intake, fasting blood glucose (FBG), HbA1c, insulin, retina thickness, inner nuclear layer (INL), outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness, lipid peroxidation (LPO), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Furthermore, the status of oxidative stress marker genes (heme oxygenase-1 [HO-1] and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor-2 [Nrf2]) and inflammatory marker (procaspase-1, cleaved-caspase-1, interleukin-1ß [IL-1ß], IL-18, and ASC) expressions were examined by using real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis techniques. We noted that the synthesized CR-ZnONPs have a crystalline structure, spherical shape, and present various functional groups. The administration of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DRP rats were increased in the levels of HbA1c, FBG, food intake, LPO, and reduced levels of insulin, SOD, GPx, and CAT. In addition, the gene and protein expression showed the downregulation of HO-1 and Nrf2 and upregulation of procaspase-1, IL-1ß, cleaved-caspase-1, IL-18, and ASC in diabetic rats. Moreover, further histopathological analysis of retinal tissues again confirmed the results of biochemical parameters. In contrast, the DRP rats treated with CR-ZnONPs significantly brought down all the parameters to normal, which indicated that the CR-ZnONPs have better antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Rational Design of High-Performance Donor-Linker-Acceptor Hybrids Using a Schiff Base for Enabling Photoinduced Electron Transfer.

Donor-linker-acceptor (D-L-A)-based photoinduced electron transfer (PET) has been frequently used for the construction of versatile fluorescent chemo/biosensors. However, sophisticated and tedious processes are generally required for the synthesis of these probes, which leads to poor design flexibility. In this work, by exploiting a Schiff base as a linker unit, a covalently bound D-L-A system was established and subsequently utilized for the development of a PET sensor. Cysteamine (Cys) and N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) costabilized gold nanoclusters (Cys/NAC-AuNCs) were synthesized and adopted as an electron acceptor, and pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) was selected as an electron donor. PLP can form a Schiff base (an aldimine) with the primary amino group of Cys/NAC-AuNC through its aldehyde group and thereby suppresses the fluorescence of Cys/NAC-AuNC. The Rehm-Weller formula results and a HOMO-LUMO orbital study revealed that a reductive PET mechanism is responsible for the observed fluorescence quenching. Since the pyridoxal (PL) produced by the acid phosphatase (ACP)-catalyzed cleavage of PLP has a weak interaction with Cys/NAC-AuNC, a novel turn-on fluorescent method for selective detection of ACP was successfully realized. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of the development of a covalently bound D-L-A system for fluorescent PET sensing of enzyme activity based on AuNC nanoprobes using a Schiff base.

Overexpression of Tripartite Motif-Containing 48 (TRIM48) Inhibits Growth of Human Glioblastoma Cells by Suppressing Extracellular Signal Regulated Kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) Pathway.

BACKGROUND Herein, we found that tripartite motif-containing 48 (TRIM48) was reduced in human glioblastoma (GBM) cell lines. We investigated whether and how TRIM48 functions in human GBM in vitro. MATERIAL AND METHODS Human GBM cells (U87 MG and U138 MG) were infected with lentivirus to overexpress TRIM48, and 1 human GBM cell line (T98G) was infected with siRNAs to knock down TRIM48 expression. Techniques used included cell proliferation assay, measured by CCK-8 and BrdU-ELISA method, and cell cycle assay, determined using flow cytometry. Curcumin, a specific activator of extracellular signal regulated kinases (ERK1/2), or PD98059, a specific inhibitor of ERK1/2, was used to activate or block the ERK1/2 pathway, respectively. Expression of phosphorylated (p)-ERK1/2, and its downstream targets (Cyclin D1) were measured to assess the mechanism. RESULTS Our data suggest that overexpression of TRIM48 reduces the viability of U87 MG and U138 MG and leads to cell cycle arrest (in G0-G1 phase), which is associated with blockade of the ERK1/2 pathway and reduction of Cyclin D1. In contrast, knockdown of TRIM48 resulted in the opposite effects. Interestingly, the inhibitory effect of TRIM48 overexpression on human GBM cell growth and the inactivation of ERK1/2 were significantly alleviated with additional curcumin treatment, while it the promoted the effect of siTRIM48 on human GBM cell growth, and the activation of ERK1/2 was significantly alleviated with additional PD98059 treatment. CONCLUSIONS TRIM48 suppressed the growth of human GBM cell via the prevention of ERK1/2 activation.