Beneficial effect of refined red palm oil on lipid peroxidation and monocyte tissue factor in HCV-related liver disease： a randomized controlled study

BACKGROUND： A large amount of endotoxin can be detected in the peripheral venous blood of patients with liver cirrhosis, contributing to the pathogenesis of hepatotoxicity because of its role in oxidative stress. The present study aimed to test the effect of the supplementation with red palm oil（RPO）, which is a natural oil obtained from oil palm fruit（Elaeis guineensis） rich in natural fat-soluble tocopherols, tocotrienols and carotenoids, on lipid peroxidation and endotoxemia with plasma endotoxin-inactivating capacity, proinflammatory cytokines profile, and monocyte tissue factor in patients with chronic liver disease. METHODS： The study group consisted of sixty patients（34 males and 26 females; mean age 62 years, range 54-75） with Child A/B, genotype 1 HCV-related cirrhosis without a history of ethanol consumption, randomly enrolled into an 8-week oral daily treatment with either vitamin E or RPO. All patients had undergone an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy 8 months before, and 13 out of them showed esophageal varices.RESULTS： Both treatments significantly decreased erythrocyte malondialdehyde and urinary isoprostane output, only RPO significantly affected macrophage-colony stimulating factor and monocyte tissue factor. Liver ultrasound imaging did not show any change. CONCLUSIONS： RPO beneficially modulates oxidative stress and, not least, downregulates macrophage/monocyte inflammatory parameters. RPO can be safely advised as a valuable nutritional implementation tool in the management of chronic liver diseases.

Effect of Liquid-phase Oxidation Impurities on Solubility of Water in Hydrocarbon Fuels

The effect of liquid-phase oxidation impurities on the solubility of water in hydrocarbon fuels was studied.The results show that the concentration of polar surfactant molecules in the first region increases(true solution)during fuel oxidation,and since the oxidation groups(-COOH,-O=O,-OH,etc.)have similar dipole momentμ,the dielectric loss tangent tanδincreases linearly in this region with surfactant concentration.Upon further oxidation,micelle structures begin to form at a certain point.Micelle formation leads to a sharp decrease in the dipole moment attributable to the monomer unitμ/n,where nis the number of molecules in a micelle.A several-fold decrease in the dipole moment leads to a sharp drop in tanδ.Upon further increase in the number and size of micelles,the dipole moment remains practically unchanged,and the dielectric loss tangent begins to increase linearly again with surfactant concentration.If the critical concentration for micelle formation is achieved upon further oxidation of hydrocarbon liquids,micelle formation processes occur spontaneously in the solution,and the true solution becomes a colloidal system(sol).The resulting micelles are structured with hydrocarbon radicals of molecules toward the outside and hydrophilic(polar)groups toward the inside.Water molecules are located inside micelles and held so securely that water molecules do not aggregate as temperature decreases.The reason for significant differences in the equilibrium solubility of water in hydrocarbon fuels is the different oxidation factors of product samples,resulting from the accumulation of various concentrations of oxidation products,which are natural surfactants,in hydrocarbon fuels.

Expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase induced by lipid-associated membrane proteins of Ureaplasma urealyticum is regulated by nuclear factor κB-mediated mechanism in murine macrophages

The aim was to investigate the molecular mechanisms responsible for the inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS） gene expression stimulated by lipid associated membrane proteins （LAMPs） of Ureaplasma urealytictan （ U. urealyticum ）. Detection of NO, the expression of iNOS and the activation of nuclear factor κB （NF-κB） in direct response to U. urealyticum LAMPs in a murine macrophages, the effects of pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate （PDTC）, an inhibitor of NF-κB and of cycloheximide （CHX）, a protein synthase inhibitor were available. The results indicated that U. urealyticum LAMPs stimulated mouse macrophages to express iNOS and thus produce NO in dose- and time-dependent manner by activating NF-κB. The expression of iNOS, NO production and the activation of NF-κB were inhibited by U. urealyticum LAMPs combination with PDTC or CHX. In conclusion, our findings suggest that U. urealyticum may be an etiological factor to certain diseases due to its ability to stimulate the expression of iNOS, which is probably mediated through the activation of NF-κB.

The effects of nitrogen fertilizer application on methane and nitrous oxide emission/uptake in Chinese croplands

The application of nitrogen（N） fertilizer to increase crop yields has a significant influence on soil methane（CH_4） and nitrous oxide（N_2O） emission/uptake.A meta-analysis was carried out on the effect of N application on（i） CH_4 emissions in rice paddies,（ii） CH_4 uptake in upland fields and（iii） N_2O emissions.The responses of CH_4 emissions to N application in rice paddies were highly variable and overall no effects were found.CH_4 emissions were stimulated at low N application rates（〈100 kg N ha^（-1）） but inhibited at high N rates（〉200 kg N ha^（-1）） as compared to no N fertilizer（control）.The response of CH_4 uptake to N application in upland fields was 15%lower than control,with a mean CH_4 uptake factor of-0.001 kg CH_4-C kg^（-1） N.The mean N_2O emission factors were 1.00 and 0.94%for maize（Zea mays） and wheat（Triticum aestivum）,respectively,but significantly lower for the rice（Oryza sativa）（0.51%）.Compared with controls,N addition overall increased global warming potential of CH_4 and N_2O emissions by 78%.Our result revealed that response of CH_4 emission to N input might depend on the CH_4concentration in rice paddy.The critical factors that affected CH_4 uptake and N_2O emission were N fertilizer application rate and the controls of CH_4 uptake and N_2O emission.The influences of application times,cropping systems and measurement frequency should all be considered when assessing CH_4 and N_2O emissions/uptake induced by N fertilizer.

IMPROVEMENT OF FLUORIMETRIC AND UV－VISIBLE SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC ASSAY METHODS FOR MEASURING NITRIC OXIDE AND／OR EDRF IN BLOOD

The increasing importance of endothelium-derived relaxing factor(EDRF),which has now been identified as nitric oxide (NO),has been underscored by the eltlcidation of its role'in a growing number of normal and pathophysiological processes. Therefore techniques for detection of nitric oxide should serve as useful tools in defining the role of nitric oxide to these processes.We have improved a simple, sensitive assay methods for determination of nitric oxide in blood, tissue, and other body fluids both by fluorometric and by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometric measurements. Data obtained by floores cence and by UV-visible assay were correlated well (r=0. 9938, P<0. 0001 ).Linearity:0.1￣ 100μmol/L,r =0.9996,P<0.0001. The minimum detection limit were < 10pmol/L. Within-and between-run CVs were 2. 48%and 4. 62% (n = 10),respectively.Reference values for healthy adults(n=40) were(9.82 ± 1. 57) pmol/L. In conclusion:the methods is sensitive, specific,and precise. It is fairly rapid and simple to perform andrequires no pretreatment of sample, i. e., plasma and urine.The value can be obtained by fluorimeter and/or UV-visible spectrophotometer.The present method is sufficiently rapid and simple to make this a practical choice for many laboratories.

NITRIC OXIDE AND VEGF EXPRESSION IN ISCHEMIC-HYPOXIC RETINOPATHY

Objective To evaluate nitric oxide(NO)and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in vitreous humor and blood samples in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy(PDR)and in patients with branch retinal vein occlusion(BRVO).Methods NO concentrations were determined by using the Greiss reaction in plasma and vitreous humor samples.VEGF levels were assayed by ELISA.The patients in the studies were divided into four groups:16 patients with PDR,5 patients with BRVO,11 patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment(RRD),and 10 patients with idiopathic macular hole(IMH).Results The vitreous fluid levels of NO were significantly higher in patients with PDR(15.2μmol/L,4.6-50.9μmol/L)than those in the other three groups(F=5.13,P=0.005).The concentrations of VEGF were significantly higher in patients with PDR and BRVO(1507.2 μg/mL,50.71-3722.0μg/ml;838.8μg/mL,159.6-3328.0μg/mL)than those in the other two groups(F=6.84,P=0.0008),but highest in PDR(T=3.92,P=0.001).There was no significant difference between NO and VEGF in serum in four groups.There was no correlation between concentrations of NO and VEGF in four groups whatever in vitreous or plasma(all P>0.05).Conclusion The results suggest that higher levels of NO and VEGF may be related to the angiogenesis in DR.

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha upregulates the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase gene in pulmonary arteries of hypoxic rat

Objective To investigate the expression of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF 1α) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) genes in rats’ pulmonary arteries in different phases of hypoxia induced pulmonary hypertension development Methods Models of chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension rat were duplicated by intermittent hypoxia Mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) was measured by right heart catheterization HIF 1α and iNOS messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) were detected by in situ hybridization HIF 1α and iNOS protein were measured by immunohistochemical analysis Results Expression of HIF 1α protein was upregulated in pulmonary arterial tunica intimae of all hypoxic rats In pulmonary arterial tunica media, the level of HIF 1α protein was markedly upregulated at days 3 and 7 of hypoxia ( P 【0 01), then tended to restore at 14 days and 21 days HIF 1α mRNA levels in pulmonary arteries of rats began to increase significantly at day 14 of hypoxia ( P 【0 01) Expression of iNOS mRNA and protein in pulmonary arteries of rats were upregulated by hypoxia for 3 days ( P 【0 01), then reached its peak and maitained the same level while the extension of hypoxia Linear correlation analysis showed that iNOS protein was associated with both mean pulmonary arterial pressure ( r =0 74, P 【0 01) and hypoxic pulmonary vascular remodeling ( r =0 78, P 【0 01), whereas the inverse was associated with HIF 1α protein ( r =-0 52, P 【0 01) Conclusions HIF 1α and iNOS are both involved in the pathogenesis of hypoxia induced pulmonary hypertension in rat HIF 1α protein may upregulate the expression of iNOS gene by transcriptional activation; in addition, iNOS protein may inhibit the expression of HIF 1α protein

Characteristics of greenhouse gas emission in three full-scale wastewater treatment processes

Three full-scale wastewater treatment processes, Orbal oxidation ditch, anoxic/anaerobic/aerobic （reversed A^2O） and anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic （A^2O）, were selected to investigate the emission characteristics of greenhouse gases （GHG）, including carbon dioxide （CO2）, methane （CH4） and nitrous oxide （N2O）. Results showed that although the processes were different, the units presenting high GHG emission fluxes were remarkably similar, namely the highest CO2 and N2O emission fluxes occurred in the aerobic areas, and the highest CH4 emission fluxes occurred in the grit tanks. The GHG emission amount of each unit can be calculated from its area and GHG emission flux. The calculation results revealed that the maximum emission amounts of CO2, CH4 and N2O in the three wastewater treatment processes appeared in the aerobic areas in all cases. Theoretically, CH4 should be produced in anaerobic conditions, rather than aerobic conditions. However, results in this study showed that the CH4 emission fluxes in the forepart of the aerobic area were distinctly higher than in the anaerobic area. The situation for N2O was similar to that of CH4： the N2O emission flux in the aerobic area was also higher than that in the anoxic area. Through analysis of the GHG mass balance, it was found that the flow of dissolved GHG in the wastewater treatment processes and aerators may be the main reason for this phenomenon. Based on the monitoring and calculation results, GHG emission factors for the three wastewater treatment processes were determined. The A^2O process had the highest CO2 emission factor of 319.3 g CO2/kg CODremoved, and the highest CH4 and N2O emission factors of 3.3 g CH4/kg CODremoved and 3.6 g N2O/kg TNremoved were observed in the Orbal oxidation ditch process.

On-board measurements of gaseous pollutant emission characteristics under real driving conditions from light-duty diesel vehicles in Chinese cities

A total of 15 light-duty diesel vehicles（LDDVs） were tested with the goal of understanding the emission factors of real-world vehicles by conducting on-board emission measurements. The emission characteristics of hydrocarbons（HC） and nitrogen oxides（NOx） at different speeds, chemical species profiles and ozone formation potential（OFP） of volatile organic compounds（VOCs） emitted from diesel vehicles with different emission standards were analyzed. The results demonstrated that emission reductions of HC and NOxhad been achieved as the control technology became more rigorous from Stage I to Stage IV. It was also found that the HC and NOxemissions and percentage of O2 dropped with the increase of speed, while the percentage of CO2 increased. The abundance of alkanes was significantly higher in diesel vehicle emissions, approximately accounting for 41.1%–45.2%, followed by aromatics and alkenes. The most abundant species were propene,ethane, n-decane, n-undecane, and n-dodecane. The maximum incremental reactivity（MIR）method was adopted to evaluate the contributions of individual VOCs to OFP. The results indicated that the largest contributors to O3 production were alkenes and aromatics, which accounted for 87.7%–91.5%. Propene, ethene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1-butene, and1,2,3-trimethylbenzene were the top five VOC species based on their OFP, and accounted for 54.0%-64.8% of the total OFP. The threshold dilution factor was applied to analyze the possibility of VOC stench pollution. The majority of stench components emitted from vehicle exhaust were aromatics, especially p-diethylbenzene, propylbenzene, m-ethyltoluene, and p-ethyltoluene.

Saeng-Kankunbi-Tang(生肝健脾汤) Protects Liver against Oxidative Damage through Activation of ERK/Nrf2 Pathway

Objective： To investigate the cytoprotective effects of Saeng-kankunbi-tang（生肝健脾汤, SKT）, a herbal prescription consisting of Artemisia capillaris and Alisma canaliculatum, and its underlying mechanism involved. Methods： In mice, blood biochemistry and histopathology were assessed in carbon tetrachloride（CCl4）-induced oxidative hepatic injury in vivo. The animal groups included vehicle-treated control, CCl4, SKT 500 mg/（kg·day） CCl4＋SKT 200 or 500 mg/（kg·day）. In Hep G2 cell, tert-butyl hydroperoxide（t BHP） induced severe oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in vitro. The cyto-protective effects of SKT were determined by 3-（4,5-dimethylthiazol）-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide（MTT） assay, fluorescence activated cell sorting analysis and western blotting. Results： The administration of SKT prevented liver damage induced by CCl4 in mice, by inhibition of hepatocyte degeneration and inflammatory cell infiltration as well as plasma parameters such as alanine aminotransferase（P〈0.01）. Moreover, treatment with t BHP induced hepatocyte death and cellular reactive oxygen species production in hepatocyte cell line. However, SKT pretreatment（30–300 μg/m L） reduced this cell death and oxidative stress（P〈0.01）. More importantly, SKT inhibited the ability of t BHP to induce changes in mitochondrial membrane transition in cell stained with rhodamine 123（P〈0.01）. Furthermore, treatment with SKT induced extracellular signal-regulated kinases-mediated nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2（Nrf2） activation as well as the expressions of heme oxygenase 1 and glutamate-cystein ligase catalytic, Nrf2 target genes. Conclusion： SKT has the ability to protect hepatocyte against oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage mediated by Nrf2 activation.

Heijiangdan Ointment(黑绛丹膏)Relieves Oxidative Stress from Radiation Dermatitis Induced by ^(60)Co γ-Ray in Mice

Objective：To investigate the effects of Heijiangdan Ointment（黑绛丹膏,HJD） on oxidative stress in （60）Co γ-ray radiation-induced dermatitis in mice.Methods：Female Wistar mice with grade 4 radiation dermatitis induced by ^（60）Co γ-rays were randomly divided into four groups（n=12 per group）;the HJD-treated,recombinant human epidermal growth factor（rhEGF）-treated,Trolox-treated,and untreated groups,along with a negative control group.On the 11 th and 21 st days after treatment,6 mice in each group were chosen for evaluation.The levels of superoxide dismutase（SOD）,malondialdehyde（MDA）,and lactate dehydrogenase（LDH） were detected using spectrophotometric methods.The fibroblast mitochondria were observed by transmission electron microscopy（TEM）.The expressions of fibroblast growth factor 2（FGF-2） and transforming growth factor β1（TGF-β1） were analyzed by western blot.Results：Compared with the untreated group,the levels of SOD,MDA and LDH,on the 11 th and 21 st days after treatment showed significant difference（P〈0.05）.TEM analysis indicated that fibroblast mitochondria in the untreated group exhibited swelling and the cristae appeared fractured,while in the HJD group,the swelling of mitochondria was limited and the rough endoplasmic reticulum appeared more relaxed.The expressions of FGF-2 and TGF-β1 increased in the untreated group compared with the negative control group（P〈0.05）.After treatment,the expression of FGF-2,rhEGF and Trolox in the HJD group were significantly increased compared with the untreated group（P〈0.05）,or compared with the negative control group（P〈0.05）.The expression of TGF-β1 showed significant difference between untreated and negative control groups（P〈0.05）.HJD and Trolox increased the level of TGF-β1 and the difference was marked as compared with the untreated and negative control groups（P〈0.05）.Conclusion：HJD relieves oxidative stress-induced injury,increases the antioxidant activity,mitigates the fibroblast mitochondrial damage,up-regulates the expression of growth factor,and promotes mitochondrial repair in mice.