M2 macrophagy-derived exosomal miRNA-26a-5p induces osteogenic differentiation of bone mesenchymal stem cells.

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have always been a heated research topic in bone tissue regeneration and repair because of their self-renewal and multi-differentiation potential. A large number of studies have been focused on finding the inducing factors that will promote the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Previous studies have shown that macrophage exosomes or miRNA-26a-5p can make it work, but the function of this kind of substance on cell osteogenic differentiation has not been public. METHODS: M2 macrophages are obtained from IL-4 polarized bone marrow-derived macrophages. Exosomes were isolated from the supernatant of M2 macrophages and identified via transmission electron microscopy (TEM), western blotting, and DLS. Chondrogenic differentiation potential was detected by Alcian blue staining. Oil red O staining was used to detect the potential for lipogenic differentiation. And MTT would detect the proliferative capacity of cells. Western blot was performed to detect differential expression of osteogenic differentiation-related proteins. RESULTS: The results showed that M2 macrophage exosomes will promote bone differentiation and at the same time inhibit lipid differentiation. In addition, M2 macrophage-derived exosomes have the function of promoting the expression of SOX and Aggrecan suppressing the level of MMP13. The exosome inhibitor GW4689 suppresses miRNA-26a-5p in M2 macrophage exosomes, and the treated exosomes do not play an important role in promoting bone differentiation. Moreover, miRNA-26a-5p can enable to promote bone differentiation and inhibit lipid differentiation. miRNA-26a-5p can promote the expression of ALP (alkaline phosphatase), RUNX-2 (Runt-related transcription factor 2), OPN(osteopontin), and Col-2(collagen type II). Therefore, it is speculated that exosomal miRNA-26a-5p is indispensable in osteogenic differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicated that M2 macrophage exosomes carrying miRNA-26a-5p can induce osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived stem cells to inhibit lipogenic differentiation, and miRNA-26a-5p will also promote the expression of osteogenic differentiation-related proteins ALP, RUNX-2, OPN, and Col-2.

Insights into the gold(I)-catalyzed intermolecular annulations of alkynes with N-allenamides: a mechanistic DFT study.

The mechanism of Au(I)-catalyzed intermolecular annulation of 2-(1-alkynyl)-2-alken-1-one with N-allenamide was carefully elucidated using density functional theory (DFT). The reaction is initiated by the binding of the Au(I) catalyst with 2-(1-alkynyl)-2-alken-1-one rather than with N-allenamide. The key intermediate, a gold all-carbon 1,3-dipole species, is revealed to be more reactive than the gold allylic carbocation. The influence of ligands and substituents was rationally analyzed. We believe that our study will provide deeper mechanistic insights into the chemoselective reactions of alkynes with N-allenamide.

[Therapeutic effects of different drug regimens and metabolic markers in children with bipolar affective disorder: a comparative analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To study the changes in metabolic markers and clinical outcome after treatment with different drug regimens in children with bipolar affective disorder. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 220 children with bipolar affective disorder who attended the hospital from January 2017 to January 2020. According to the treatment method, 112 children treated with atypical antipsychotic drugs alone were enrolled as the control group, and 108 children treated with atypical antipsychotic drugs combined with mood stabilizer were enrolled as the study group. The two groups were compared in terms of baseline data, changes in related metabolic markers[fasting insulin (FIN), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbAlc), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)] after treatment, incidence rate of metabolic syndrome, and clinical outcome. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the baseline data including age, sex, and course of disease between the two groups (P > 0.05). The study group had a significantly higher overall response than the control group (92.6% vs 82.1%, P < 0.05). Before treatment, there were no significant differences in the levels of FIN and HbAlc between the two groups (P > 0.05). After treatment, the control group had a significant increase in the level of FIN and a significantly higher level of FIN than the study group (P < 0.05). The study group showed no significant change in the level of FIN after treatment (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the level of HbAlc between the two groups before and after treatment (P > 0.05). Before treatment, there were no significant differences in the levels of TC, TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C between the two groups (P > 0.05), and after treatment, the control group had significant increases in TC and TG and significantly higher levels of TC and TG than the study group (P < 0.05). The study group showed no significant changes in TC and TG after treatment (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in the levels of HDL-C and LDL-C between the two groups before and after treatment (P > 0.05). The study group had a significantly lower incidence rate of metabolic syndrome than the control group (2.8% vs 9.8%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Atypical antipsychotic drugs combined with mood stabilizer in the treatment of bipolar disorder in children have little effect on the level of metabolic markers, and the curative effect is significant.

Ordered Mesoporous Carbon Embedded with Cu Nanoparticle Materials for Electrocatalytic Synthesis of Benzyl Methyl Carbonate from Benzyl Alcohol and Carbon Dioxide.

We prepared a series of ordered mesoporous carbons embedded with different contents of Cu nanoparticles (Cu/OMC-X) and applied them to electrocatalytic synthesis of benzyl methyl carbonate. The materials were characterized by many measurements, which showed that Cu/OMC-X materials maintain highly ordered mesoporous structures with high surface area and highly dispersed Cu nanoparticles. As expected, the materials exhibit good electrocatalytic performance. The optimal yield of benzyl methyl carbonate reaches 69.7% on Cu/OMC-3.

Synthesis of Ag nanoparticles/ordered mesoporous carbon as a highly efficient catalyst for the electroreduction of benzyl bromide.

To develop efficient catalysts for the electroreduction of organic halides, a facile one-pot synthesis of Ag nanoparticles/ordered mesoporous carbon electrode materials via the self-assembly of CH3COOAg and resol in the presence of triblock copolymer is proposed. The resultant electrode materials possess uniform mesopore sizes (3.3 nm) and pore volumes (∼0.28 cm3 g-1), high specific surface areas (∼500 m2 g-1), and uniformly dispersed Ag nanoparticles (12-36 nm) loaded within the carbon matrix. Cyclic voltammetry, measurements of electrochemically active surface area, and electrolysis experiments were conducted to understand the correlations between the catalytic ability and the structural and textural features of the catalysts. Excellent bibenzyl yield (98%) and remarkable reusability were obtained under mild conditions. The results confirm that the prepared nanocomposites show outstanding performance in the electroreduction degradation of PhCH2Br to bibenzyl.

The effect of a web-based training for improving primary health care providers' knowledge about diabetes mellitus management in rural China: A pre-post intervention study.

BACKGROUND: The performance of primary health care providers regarding DM management is poor in rural China, and effective training methods for providers are urgently needed. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of web-based training for improving knowledge about DM management among primary health care providers in rural China and to further compare the effects of the training effect between primary health care providers with different backgrounds. METHODS: A pre-post intervention study was conducted from April to August 2014. In this study, a total of 901 primary health care workers were recruited from six counties in Hubei province. To evaluate the effect of the web-based training, the knowledge achievement of participants was measured with multiple choice questions (MCQ) at baseline, at the end of two weeks of training and at three months after training. A mixed linear model (MLM) was used to measure group differences in the mean scores at baseline and follow-up. RESULTS: After the web-based training, the knowledge scores of the village doctors increased from 73.58 at baseline to 89.98 at posttest and to 84.57 three months after the training. For township health workers, we observed an upward trend in scores from 78.87 at the pre-test to 91.72 at the second test, and at the three months after the training, the scores increased to 94.91. For village doctors, greater knowledge achievement was observed between the scores at baseline and after two weeks of training(adjusted difference: 3.55, P = 0.03) compared to that observed for the township health workers, while decreased their knowledge achievement between baseline and the third-test compared with that of township health workers (adjusted difference: 5.05, P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that web-based training was an effective method for improving the knowledge of primary health care providers about management of DM in remote areas. Compared with the effect of the training on village doctors, the training had a poor short-term effect on township health workers but a better long-term effect.

Association between Twist and multidrug resistance gene-associated proteins in Taxol®-resistant MCF-7 cells and a 293 cell model of Twist overexpression.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) severely limits the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Previous studies have identified Twist as a key factor of acquired MDR in breast, gastric and prostate cancer. However, the underlying mechanisms of action of Twist in MDR remain unclear. In the present study, the expression levels of MDR-associated proteins, including lung resistance-related protein (LRP), topoisomerase IIα (TOPO IIα), MDR-associated protein (MRP) and P-glycoprotein (P-gp), and the expression of Twist in cancerous tissues and pericancerous tissues of human breast cancer, were examined. In order to simulate Taxol® resistance in cells, a Taxol®-resistant human mammary adenocarcinoma cell subline (MCF-7/Taxol®) was established by repeatedly exposing MCF-7 cells to high concentrations of Taxol® (up to 15 µg/ml). Twist was also overexpressed in 293 cells by transfecting this cell line with pcDNA5/FRT/TO vector containing full-length hTwist cDNA to explore the dynamic association between Twist and MDR gene-associated proteins. It was identified that the expression levels of Twist, TOPO IIα, MRP and P-gp were upregulated and LRP was downregulated in human breast cancer tissues, which was consistent with the expression of these proteins in the Taxol®-resistant MCF-7 cell model. Notably, the overexpression of Twist in 293 cells increased the resistance to Taxol®, Trichostatin A and 5-fluorouracil, and also upregulated the expression of MRP and P-gp. Taken together, these data demonstrated that Twist may promote drug resistance in cells and cancer tissues through regulating the expression of MDR gene-associated proteins, which may assist in understanding the mechanisms of action of Twist in drug resistance.

One-pot synthesis of Ni nanoparticle/ordered mesoporous carbon composite electrode materials for electrocatalytic reduction of aromatic ketones.

A simple one-pot synthesis of Ni nanoparticle/ordered mesoporous carbon composite electrode materials is demonstrated for electrosynthesis for the first time. The obtained nanocomposites have uniform mesopore sizes (3.0-3.7 nm), large specific surface areas (506-633 m2 g-1), high pore volumes (0.28-0.38 cm3 g-1), well-graphitized carbon frameworks, and uniformly dispersed Ni nanoparticles (7-15 nm) embedded in the carbon pore walls. The prepared materials show very high performance in the selective (∼84%) electrocatalytic reduction of aromatic ketones into alcohols (∼79%).

Self-acceptance and associated factors among Chinese women with breast cancer.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To identify self-acceptance and associated socio-demographic and disease factors among Chinese women with breast cancer. BACKGROUND: Although it is recognised that breast cancer can affect a woman's feelings of self-acceptance, there are few studies concerning the level of self-acceptance among women with breast cancer and factors associated with self-acceptance in this population. DESIGN: Cross-sectional research design. METHODS: Data were collected using the convenience sampling method. A total of 308 women with breast cancer were investigated using the Self-Acceptance Questionnaire. RESULTS: The mean score on the Self-Acceptance Questionnaire was 39·79 ± 5·14, indicating that the women in this study had low levels of self-acceptance. Multiple regression analysis indicated that self-acceptance was positively associated with the time since diagnosis, household income and the presence of medical insurance/government-funded medical treatment, while Tumour, Lymph Node, Metastasis stage was negatively associated with self-acceptance. With respect to work status, retired patients had the highest levels of self-acceptance, those who had returned to work had moderate levels of self-acceptance and those who had not yet returned to work had the lowest levels of self-acceptance. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the level of self-acceptance among women with breast cancer in China is low, and suggests that there is room to improve. Several factors are significantly associated with the self-acceptance of women with breast cancer. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Medical staff should realise that the level of self-acceptance among women with breast cancer in China is low and has room to improve. It is important to conduct appropriate interventions to improve self-acceptance among these women, based on an understanding of the factors associated with self-acceptance.

Analyses of the mitochondrial mutations in the Chinese patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Pathogenic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations leading to mitochondrial dysfunction can cause a variety of chronic diseases in central nervous system (CNS). However, the role of mtDNA mutations in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) has still been unknown. In this study, we comparatively analyzed complete mtDNA sequences of 31 Chinese sCJD patients and 32 controls. Using MITOMASTER and PhyloTree, we characterized 520 variants in sCJD patients and 507 variants in control by haplogroup and allele frequencies. We classified the mtDNAs into 40 sub-haplogroups of 5 haplogroups, most of them being Asian-specific haplogroups. Haplogroup U, an European-specific haplogroups mtDNA, was found only in sCJD. The analysis to control region (CR) revealed a 31% increase in the frequency of mtDNA CR mutations in sCJD versus controls. In functional elements of the mtDNA CR, six CR mutations were in conserved sequence blocks I (CSBI) in sCJD, while only one in control (P<0.05). More mutants in transfer ribonucleic acid-Leu (tRNA-Leu) were detected in sCJD. The frequencies of two synonymous amino-acid changes, m.11467A>G, p.(=) in NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4) and m.12372G>A, p.(=) in NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (ND5), in sCJD patients were higher than that of controls. Our study, for the first time, screened the variations of mtDNA of Chinese sCJD patients and identified some potential disease-related mutations for further investigations.

[Changes and influencing factors of the soil organic carbon in farmland in the last 30 years on Hilly Loess Plateau: a case study in Zhuanglang County, Gansu Province].

By analysing the sampled data and the results of the second national soil survey by the mid 80 s in Zhuanglang County, the article studied on the changes and influencing factors of the soil organic carbon in farmland of this area in the last 30 years. Farmland samples of top soil (0-20 cm) were collected and analyzed in July 2011. The results showed that (1) The average contents of the soil organic carbon in the county's farmlands were 6.80 g x kg(-1) in 1985 and 8.90 g x kg(-1) in 2011. It increased by 30.9% in the past 30 years, which appeared as a carbon sink effect. The area of increasing contents of soil organic carbon accounted for about 90% of the county's farmland area. (2) Under the available management measures and farmland input, the loessal soil organic carbon stability level was 11.0 g x kg(-1), The SOC accumulation rate showed that the farther the SOC was from the stability level the more quickly it changed, and the closer the SOC was from the stability level the slower it changed. (3) The SOC changes was affected by the altitude, the primary content of organic carbon, and the soil types and so on, in which the greatest contribution factor was the altitude, the influence of the primary content of organic carbon, soil type, production and organic fertilizer on soil organic carbon change was smaller, and the slope aspect had the smallest effect on soil organic carbon change.

[Prognostic value of ventricular longitudinal systolic velocities and maximal oxygen consumption in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prognostic value of regional longitudinal ventricular systolic velocities with that of maximal oxygen consumption (VO(2max)) in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). METHODS: VO(2max) derived from cardiopulmonary exercise tests and regional longitudinal ventricular systolic velocities obtained from tissue Doppler imaging were compared in 18 DCM patients with cardiac events (death, cardiac transplantation, hospitalization, group A) and 24 patients without cardiac events (group B). Peak velocities during isovolumic contraction (is) and ejection (ez) were interrogated at the mitral or tricuspid annulus (site 1), at the mid parts of the walls (site 3, at the level of papillary muscle), and at the midpoints (site 2) between sites 1 and 3 of interventricular septum (S), lateral wall of LV (L) and of RV (R) in apical 4 chambers view. RESULTS: R1is, R2is, R2ez, R3is, S1is, S1ez, S2ez, L1is, L1ez and L2ez of group A were significantly lower than those in group B (all P < 0.05). Independent of VO(2max), high sensitivity and specificity were shown for R3ez, S1ez, L1ez, L1is, L2is and L3is in predicting cardiac events of DCM patients. CONCLUSION: LV and RV systolic velocities could independently predict cardiac events in DCM patients.