Ellagic Acid Enhances Antioxidant System Activity and Maintains the Quality of Strawberry Fruit during Storage

Ellagic acid(EA)is a natural antioxidant,widely present in a lot of forms’soft fruits,nuts,and other plant tissues,and helpful for promoting human health;however,its protective effect on postharvest fruit and improving the quality index of postharvest fruit have rarely been studied.In this experiment,the strawberries were soaked in 0,100,200,300,400,and 500 mg L^(−1) EA,respectively,and the influential EA on fruit quality and the antioxidant system of strawberries were studied.Compared with the control,EA treatment can reduce the browning degree and rotting rate of strawberry fruit during storage and augment the soluble solid content(SSC).EA treatment can also increase the content of related stuff and enzyme activity in antioxidant systems;the gene expression level of polyphenol oxidase(PPO)in strawberries treated with EA was always down-regulated,correspondingly,the expression of other antioxidant enzyme genes was enhanced.Among the strawberry fruits treated with EA of different concentrations,300 mg L^(−1) EA had the best effect in the process of strawberry preservation.The results suggested that the proper concentration of exogenous EA at 300 mg L−1 could maintain strawberries’quality and enhance the antioxidant system by improving the activities of antioxidative enzymes and the ascorbateglutathione(AsA-GSH)cycle during storage.

A novel cabazitaxel liposomes modified with ginsenoside Rk1 for cancer targeted therapy

Objective:In this study,we aim to enhance the anti-prostate cancer efficacy of cabazitaxel(CTX)and reduce its immunosuppression and systemic toxicity by developing CTX-loaded liposomes modified with ginsenoside Rk1(Rk1/CTX-Lip).Methods:Physical and chemical properties of Rk1/CTX-Lip were investigated.We evaluated the biological functions of Rk1/CTXLip,both in vitro and in vivo.A subcutaneous prostate cancer(RM-1)-bearing mouse model was established to study the efficacy of Rk1/CTX-Lip inhibition in tumors.Simultaneously,a Candida albicans infection model was established in tumor-bearing mice to study the infection-relieving efficacy of Rk1/CTX-Lip.Finally,biocompatibility and in vivo safety of Rk1/CTX-Lip were evaluated.Results:We successfully prepared Rk1/CTX-Lip,achieving high CTX encapsulation efficiency(97.24±0.75)%and physical stability.Rk1/CTX-Lip demonstrated evasion of macrophage phagocytosis,effective tumor tissue targeting,and a significant reduction(>50%)in average tumor volume compared with Chol/CTX-Lip.Moreover,it relieved the concurrent infection burden and effectively regulated immune organs and cells,demonstrating superior biocompatibility.Conclusion:Rk1/CTX-Lip presents a promising new therapy for prostate cancer and holds potential for relieving concurrent fungal infections in cancer patients with low immunity.

Molecularly imprinted nanoparticles and their releasing properties, bio-distribution as drug carriers

Molecular imprinted nanoparticles(MINPs) can memorize the shape and functional group positions complementary to template, which account for the large drug loading capacity and slow drug release behavior as drug carriers. We synthesized MINPs via precipitation polymerization with vinblastine(VBL) as a model drug, and investigated the drug loading,releasing property in vitro and bio-distribution in vivo. The obtained MINPs, from 300 to 450 nm,had smooth surface and favorable dispersibility. The entrapment efficacy and drug loading capacity of VBL loaded MINPs(MINPs-VBL) were 83.25% and 8.72% respectively. In PBS(pH 7.4),MINPs-VBL showed sustained release behavior. The cumulative release percentage reached about 70% during 216 h and no burst release was observed. The releasing behavior of MINPsVBL in vitro conformed to the first-order kinetics model. MINPs-VBL and commercially available vinblastine sulfate injection(VBL injection) were injected via tail vein of SD rats respectively to investigate the bio-distribution. MINPs-VBL group showed higher concentration of VBL in tissues and serum than VBL injection group after 60 min, and the drug level in liver was the highest. MINPs-VBL exhibited liver targeting trend to some extent, which was based on the evaluation of drug targeting index(DTI) and drug selecting index(DSI).

Mechanical Regulation of Calcium Response and Trail Formation of Neutrophils on Endothelium

Atherosclerosis or fibrosis and cirrhosis undergo chronic inflammation associated with the adhesion between neutrophils and endothelial cells(ECs)that is mediated by their respective cellular adhesive molecules on stiffened blood vessel wall or extracellular matrix(ECM)under shear flow[1-3].However,the mechanical dependence of calcium flux and trail formation in neutrophils remains unclear yet in these processes.First,the effect of substrate stiffness through ECs on neutrophil calcium spike was quantified when the individual neutrophils adhered to EC monolayer pre-placed onto stiffness-varied polyacrylamide(PA)substrate(5 or 34.88 kPa)or glass surface.Our data indicated that E-/P-selectins and ICAM-1s on HUVECs and b2-integrins,PSGL-1s,and CD44s on neutrophils were all involved in mediating neutrophil calcium spike in a stiffness-dependent manner,in which the increase of substrate stiffness enhanced the calcium intensity and spike number.Such stiffness-dependent calcium response is associated with selectin-induced b2-integrin activation through Syk/Src signaling pathway and the F-actin/myosin II function.Moreover,tension-activated calcium ion channels displayed critical roles in initiating stiffness-dependent calcium spike [4].Second,the trail formation of neutrophils to ECs monolayer pre-placed onto the same PA substrate were also tested under shear flow.Live fluorescence imaging showed that neutrophils are able to form long membrane tethers during migration and subsequently leave behind membranous long-lasting trails under shear,which are enriched in LFA-1,Mac-1,and CD44.Moreover,the formation of the trails was inhibited by blocking LFA-1s and Mac-1s,suggesting an important role forβ2-integrins in the trial formation.The recruitment of monocytes was inhibited when pre-blocking ICAM-1s on flowing monocytes,indicating that the neutrophil’s trails employβ2-integrin-ICAM-1 binding to recruit the monocytes.Intriguingly,both the length and the area of the trails increase with increasing substrate stiffness,resulting in the enhanced monocyte recruitment.Inhibition of actin binding protein Arp2/3 impairs the trail formation and dramatically decreases the neutrophil-dependent monocyte recruitment.These data provide an insight into understanding how stiffening of vascular wall could regulate the calcium flux of adhered neutrophils and thus the immune responses in atherosclerosis.They also imply that local mechanical microenvironment is remodeled with the migration of neutrophils,leaving the trails presented to induce and regulate monocyte recruitment.All the results are meaningful in elucidating the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis or fibrosis from the viewpoint of mechanotransduction and also for the potential intervention of cardiovascular disease progress.

Nitric Oxide Regulates Mitochondrial Fatty Acids and Promotes CBF Expression of Peach Fruit during Cold Storage

Low-temperature storage is convenient for postharvest preservation of peach fruit,but peach fruit is sensitive to cold damage,which lowers its quality.Nitric oxide(NO)has the potential to improve the bitter resistance of peach fruit.In this work,peach fruit was treated with 15μmol L^(−1)NO and 5μmol L^(−1)c-PTIO[2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxo-3-oxide],to study changes in mitochondrial fatty acids and expression of the C-repeat binding factor(CBF).The results showed that 15μmol L^(−1)exogenous NO significantly maintained fruit quality,reduced peroxidation of mitochondrial fatty acids,increased the activities of the antioxidants superoxide dismutase(SOD),peroxidase(POD),catalase(CAT),ascorbic acid peroxidase(APX),and reduced the content of hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2)).Meanwhile,NO treatment suppressed the increase in browning index and ion leakage rate,increased the activity of S-nitrosoglutathione reductase(GSNOR),the contents of S-nitrosothiols(SNOs),and the ratios of mitochondrial NAD^(+)/NADH and NADP^(+)/NADPH,increased the expression levels of PpCBF1/5/6.However,the expression levels of PpCBF2/3/4 were not significantly regulated by exogenous NO.Peaches treated with c-PTIO showed opposite effects to those treated with exogenous NO.These results suggest that exogenous NO can improve antioxidant capacity,preserve mitochondrial fatty acids,and upregulate the expression of PpCBF1/5/6 to alleviate cold tolerance and maintain the peach quality during storage.

Predicting Adjuvant Chemotherapy Outcome by Simultaneous Analysis of Thymidylate Synthase Expression and p53 Nuclear Accumulation in Colorectal Cancer

Studies have shown that the tumor suppressor gene p53 may regulate thymidylate synthase (TS) activity in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells, hence attributed to chemo-resistance to 5-flurouracil in CRC. In this study, a total of 299 primary CRC patients who underwent surgery alone or received an adjuvant 5-FU-based chemotherapy were retrospectively studied. TS expression and p53 nuclear accumulation on paraffin embedded primary tumor tissue arrays were immunohistochemically assessed, and their relationship to patient overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) were analyzed. No correlation was found between TS and p53 expression. p53 nuclear accumulation was significantly correlated with tumor location. In all, multivariate analysis shows that TNM stage is a good indicator of patient survival. TS or p53 is not an independent prognostic or predictive factor in the CRCs. In chemotherapy-treated group, simultaneous analysis of TS and p53 indicates patients in the p53-/TS- or p53+/TS+ group have significant better OS and DFS than the group p53-/TS+ or p53+/TS- (P < 0.01). Thus, our study suggests that simultaneous evaluation of both TS and p53 can help to predict the therapeutic effect of CRCs with 5-FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy.

The study of relationship between the expression of VEGF and Ang-2 and Tie-2 in endometriosis

Objective:To detect the expression of VEGF(vascular endothelial growth factor),Ang-2(angiopoietin-2)and Tie-2 in endometriosis(EMs)and their correlations with menstrual cycle and clinical stage.Methods:Thirty specimens of normal endometrium,eutopic endometrium and ectopic endometrium tissues were collected.The expression of VEGF,Ang-2 and Tie-2 was detected by immunohistochemistry methods.Results:The positive rate of expression of VEGF in the normal endometrium,eutopic endometrium and ectopic endometrium tissues gradually increased(16.67%,86.67%,90.00%),compared three groups(p<.01).The positive rate of expression of Ang-2 in the normal endometrium,eutopic endometrium and ectopic endometrium tissues was 33.33%,70.00%,60.00%,respectively(p<.05).The positive rate of expression of Tie-2 in the normal endometrial,eutopic endometrium and ectopic endometrial tissues was 13.33%,50.00%,40.00%,respectively(p<.01).The expression of VEGF,Ang-2 and Tie-2 was closely correlated with each other(r=0.875,r=0.905,r=0.898).Conclusions:Our findings suggest that there is a close relation between VEGF,Ang-2 and Tie-2,the up-regulation of VEGF and Ang-2 may cooperatively contribute to survival and invasion of EMs.This may provide new targets for therapy of EMs.

非农业源排放增强大气二甲胺浓度并调节城市颗粒物成核

气态二甲胺(DMA)是大气新粒子生成的关键前体物,然而对其来源与空气和气候效应仍存在巨大争议.本研究率先对中国大气DMA浓度开展了南北跨区域与城市内部的走航观测.发现亚热带森林植物的DMA排放浓度可能南方远高于北方,同时记录到由工业脉冲排放所导致的全球最高大气DMA浓度.在高度城市化的上海地区,DMA浓度自市中心向外围逐渐降低且与人口密度关联.源排放的直接测试进一步表明中国区域和城市内部的大气二甲胺都深受非农业源排放的影响.大气化学传输模式也证实,居民DMA排放主导了上海城市大气颗粒物数浓度的贡献.该研究将外场观测、源排放测试与模型模拟相结合,呈现了中国大气二甲胺的全生命周期,为颗粒物污染防治和气候变化评估提供了有用参考.

Assembling of a novel 3D Ag(Ⅰ)-MOFs with mixed ligands tactics：Syntheses, crystal structure and catalytic degradation of nitrophenol

A silver-based metal-organic framework(Ag-MOFs), [Ag2(H3 ddcba)(dpp)2](1)(H5 ddcba = 3,5-(di(2',5'-dicarboxylphenyl)benozoic acid, dpp = 1,3-di(4-pyridyl)propane), was successfully constructed via hydrothermal assembly of a pentacaboxylate ligand, a N-donor ligand and Ag(I) ions, which possesses a pcu topology and exhibits excellent catalytic properties in aqueous solution for the degradation of onitrophenol(2-NP), m-nitrophenol(3-NP) and p-nitrophenol(4-NP). Related kinetics of such catalytic reactions, photoluminescent and thermal stability of compound 1 were also investigated.

High-throughput development and applications of the compositional mechanical property map of the β titanium alloys

By a combination of the nanoindentation and electron probe microanalysis(EPMA)techniques,the traditional diffusion couple technique is extended to map the mechanical property of β-type Ti alloys over a wide composition range,which can be utilized to develop very versatile novel bio-Ti alloys for hard tissue re placements in arti ficial bones,joints,and dental implants.To create complete single-phase composition ranges of Ti-based bcc solid solution,12 types of bcc Ti-Nb-Zr-Mo/Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta quaternary diffusion couples were fabricated and annealed at 1273 K for 25 h.In this way,the composition-mechanical property relationships in the vast composition space of Ti-based alloys were established using EPMA and nanoindentation probes.Notably,the measured composition-dependent Young’s moduli,hardness,and elastic recovery as well as the derived ratio of hardness to Young’s modulus,and the ratio of the cube of hardness to the square of Young’s modulus,in the developed compositional mechanical property database,were visualized in a five-dimensional scatter plot.This enables an effective tool to screen the Ti-Nb-Zr-based alloys fororthopedic and dental applications according to different clinical requirements,and to rationalize the fundamental mechanical relationships in the rapid development of β-Ti alloys.

Cloning of a microphthalmia-associated transcription factor gene and its functional analysis in nacre formation and melanin synthesis in Hyriopsis cumingii

Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor(MITF)is an essential transactivator in melanin synthesis.To characterize the role of MITF in the pearl mussel Hyriopsis cumingii,the MITF homolog of H.cumingii was isolated.The full-length HcMitf cDNA consisted of a 1332-bp with an open reading frame that encode for a 443 amino acid protein that contain a conserved basic helix-loop-helix zipper domain.The HcMitf was found to widespread tissue distribution but expression was higher in purple mussels than in white mussels,mostly in mantle,liver,kidney,gill,and foot with the exception of the adductor mussel.HcMitf and its downstream gene tyrosinase(HcTyr)were highly expressed at the nacre deposition stage after implantation of mantle tissue to produce pearls.Using RNA interference,the expression of HcMitf was reduced by 78%(P<0.01)and expression of HcTyr was also significantly suppressed and consequently total melanin content was decreased(P<0.05).The results suggest that HcMitf plays an important role in melanin synthesis,nacre formation and shell pigmentation in the H.cumingii.

Alteration of gut microbiota in type 2 diabetes complicated with cholelithiasis patients

To the Editor:Type 2 diabetes(T2D)and cholelithiasis are both common diseases with a high,prevalence.In China,the,prevalence of T2D,is.0.90% and that offadult cholelithiasis is 6.83%.

Identification of a uroporphyrinogenⅢsynthetase gene and characterization of its role in pearl sac formation in Hyriopsis cumingii

UroporphyrinogenⅢsynthetase(UROS)is an important enzyme involved in the structural formation of porphyrin,which is responsible for color intensity.A UROS homolog was isolated and characterized from the pearl mussel,Hyriopsis cumingii(HcUros).The HcUros cDNA was 858 bp in length with an open reading frame that encoded a 285 amino acid protein,which contained a conserved HemD domain.HcUros exhibited widespread tissue distribution,displaying particular enrichment in the mantle and haemolymph of purple mussels,compared to white mussels.In situ hybridization of HcUros in mantle tissue demonstrated that it was specifically expressed in the dorsal epithelial cells of the mantle pallia.Additionally,HcUros expression was upregulated following implantation of the pearl sac to produce pearls.The data suggest that HcUros contributes to shell pigmentation,and nacre formation and coloring in H.cumingii.

An algorithm for computing the factor ring of an ideal in a Dedekind domain with finite rank

We give an algorithm for computing the factor ring of a given ideal in a Dedekind domain with finite rank, which runs in deterministic and polynomial time. We provide two applications of the algorithm:judging whether a given ideal is prime or prime power. The main algorithm is based on basis representation of finite rings which is computed via Hermite and Smith normal forms.

The influencing mechanism of O_(2),H_(2)O,and CO_(2)on the H_(2)S removal of food waste digestate-derived biochar with abundant minerals

Hydrogen sulfide(H_(2)S)removal has been a significant concern in various industries.In this study,food waste diges-tate-derived biochar(DFW-BC),a by-product of food waste treatment with abundant minerals,was assessed for removing H_(2)S from different simulated biogas containing oxygen(O_(2))and carbon dioxide(CO_(2))and under differ-ent moisture(H_(2)O)contents(0%and 20%)of biochar.The influencing mechanisms of the gas conditions combined with the moisture contents were also investigated.The results showed an H_(2)S removal of 1.75 mg g^(−1)for dry bio-char under pure H_(2)S,4.29 mg g^(−1)for dry biochar under H_(2)S+O_(2),5.29 mg g^(−1)for humid biochar under H_(2)S,and 12.50 mg g^(−1)for humid biochar under H_(2)S+O_(2).For dry DFW-BC,the high Fe content was responsible for the O_(2)enhancement.In contrast,O_(2)+H_(2)O activated the catalytic H_(2)S oxidation of the less reactive minerals(mainly Ca).The inhibition of CO_(2)on H_(2)S adsorption was not obvious for dry DFW-BC;the specific pore structure may have provided a buffer against the physisorption competition of CO_(2).However,when H_(2)O was present on DFW-BC,the changes in critical biochar properties and sulfur speciation as opposed to that without H_(2)O implied an evident occurrence of CO_(2)chemisorption.This CO_(2)chemisorption partially hindered O_(2)+H_(2)O enhancement,decreasing the H_(2)S removal capacity from 12.50 to 8.88 mg g^(−1).The negative effect was ascribed to mineral carbonation of CO_(2),neutralizing the alkaline surface and immobilizing metal oxides,which thus reduced the acceleration in H_(2)S dissociation and activa-tion in catalytic H_(2)S oxidation by O_(2)+H_(2)O.

Smart light-responsive hierarchical metal organic frameworks constructed mixed matrix membranes for efficient gas separation

One type of new light-responsive hierarchical metal organic framework(MOF) has been successfully prepared using Co(NO_(3))_(3)·6H_(2)O as the metal salt and 4,4’-azobenzenedicarboxylic acid as the ligand by microwave method for the first time. It is found that MOF [Co(Az DC)] exhibits a light-responsive characteristic to SO_(2)adsorption due to the presence of azo group from the ligand. The light-responsive hierarchical MOFs are incorporated into Matrimid■ 5218(PI) matrix to prepare mixed matrix membranes(MMMs) for gas separation application. The morphology, crystallinity, chain mobility and thermal stability of MMMs are explored. Results show that Co(Az DC) may elevate both the CO_(2)(SO_(2)) permeability and CO_(2)(SO_(2))/N_(2)selectivity of the MMMs. In particular,the Co(Az DC) doped MMMs exhibit the significantly improved CO_(2)(SO_(2))/N_(2)selectivity from 33(123) for PI control membrane to 78(420) for MMMs, overcoming the 2008 Robeson upper bound for CO_(2)/N_(2)system. Sizesieving effect of Co(Az DC) with pore size 0.35 nm enhances the selectivity, while the –N=N– group from Co(Az DC) shows affinity to CO_(2)molecular rather than N_(2), also elevating selectivity of MMMs. In brief, enhanced selectivity of high-performance membrane is attributed to incorporation of Co(Az DC) particles, which displays synergistic effects both in size-sieving and CO_(2)-philic interaction for CO_(2)/N_(2)separation. Smart highly selective interface is constructed in MMMs by switching the configuration of MOFs from cis to trans. The SO_(2)permeability and SO_(2)/N_(2)selectivity of MMMs are investigated under both visible light and ultraviolet light states, and the SO_(2)/N_(2)separation performance under visible light is notably improved in comparison with that under ultraviolet light state.