Mechanisms of Sophora flavescens in the treatment of cervical squamous cell carcinoma based on comprehensive biological analysis,network pharmacology,and experimental verification

Objective:This study used comprehensive bioinformatics analysis and network pharmacology analysis to investigate the potentially relevant mechanisms of Sophora flavescens against cervical squamous cell carcinoma.Methods:Consistently altered genes involved in cervical squamous cell cancerization were analyzed in the GEO database.The chemical ingredients and target genes of Sophora flavescens were explored using the TCMSP database.We obtained the potential therapeutic targets of Sophora flavescens by intersecting the above genesets and validated them in the GEPIA database.The interaction between Sophora flavescens and target genes was predicted by molecular docking.RT-qPCR was used to verify the changes of target genes in HeLa cells treated with Sophora flavescens.Single-gene GSEA functional analysis were performed to determine the molecular mechanisms.Results:Fifteen genes related to the transformation of cervical squamous cell carcinoma were identified,among which AR and ESR1 were confirmed as targets for kaempferol,wighteone,formononetin,and phaseolinon.These compounds are the active ingredients in Sophora flavescens.Low expressions of AR and ESR1 correlate with a poor prognosis,while Sophora flavescens treatment increases the expression of AR and ESR1 in HeLa.GSEA analysis showed that AR and ESR1 mainly participate in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in cervical squamous cell carcinoma.Conclusion:Sophora flavescens exert anti-tumor effects by targeting AR and ESR1,which may regulate cancer metastasis.

Biological Fingerprinting Analysis of Interaction Between Taxoids in Taxus and Microtubule Protein by Microdialysis Coupled with High-performance Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry for Screening Antimicrotubule Agents

Some natural products, such as traditional Chinese medicines（TCMs）, contain compounds with anticancer activity and have attracted a great interest in recent years as alternative anticancer therapies. A quick and convenient assay for screening antimicrotubule compounds in which in vitro microdialysis/high-performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） is used to monitor the binding of the compounds extracted from TCM Taxus cuspidata Siebold ＆ Zucc（Taxus） to microtubules is reported. It was observed that the extract of Taxus contains at least five compounds which have affinity interaction with microtubules by biological fingerprinting analysis, and they were identified as the taxoids of taxol, baccatin III, 10-deacetylbaccatin Ⅲ（10-DAB）, cephalomannine and 7-epi-10-deacetyltaxol （7-epi-10-DAT） based on the comparison of their high-performance liquid chromatographic/mass spectrometric and UV spectra with those of the standard samples, both assembly-promoting and disassembly-inhibiting characteristics of those compounds were evaluated. It was observed that baccatin Ⅲ and 10-DAB bound to microtubules and the binding degrees were influenced by GTP. Competitive binding behavior of taxol with other four taxoids to microtubules was also investigated.

Paleoclimate Study of Mountain Ecosystems by Multiple Group Biological Analysis

Methodological problems of climatic reconstruction for different periods of Holocene are discussed on the basis of a multiple group biological analysis on peat-sapropel sediments. The possibility of biological analysis is exemplified by the paleoclimatic reconstruction for Carpathian and Altai Mountain ranges. For the ＂Skolevsky Beskidy＂ national park of Carpaty the paleoclimatic scenarios have been drown up aiming at the more precise definition of climatic conditions for the period of mass mountain slope terracing. The stability of terrace systems of various designs in the current climatic conditions has been assessed. It is shown that during periods of humid climate the terraces, whose designs have been focused on drainage, were built. In periods of dry and warm climate the terrace systems capable of accumulating water were built. Both these types of terrace systems are destroyed in nowadays. Only those terrace systems are stable which were adjusted by their builders to contrast variations of precipitation. For Western Altais the paleoclimatic scenario has been done to forecast the safety of the Bronze Age kurgans （burial earth mounds） with permafrost inside the construction. In the Altay region during the Holocene it has revealed two periods of sharp cooling, the peaks of which occurred in the intervals 4500- 4300 and 2500-2300 years pronounced climatic drying ago, and two periods of 4900-4700 and 130-70 years ago. Depletion of the algae composition in the layer corresponding to the last period of drying climate indicates a very sharp change in the parameters of moisture and turning the lake into a dry swamp. Periods of cold weather may have contributed to the formation of special ritual traditions of the Sakan tribes that require the frozen ground to bury the dead. The later climate fluctuations identified have not affected the safety of permafrost in burial mounds constructed in the V-III cc BC.

Biological Analysis and Response to Low Phosphate Stress of Phosphate Transporter Family 1 (PHT1) Genes in Solanum tuberosum L.

Inorganic phosphate(Pi)is one of the main nutrients necessary for plant growth.Phosphate transporters mediate the acquisition,transport and recycling of phosphate,which is essential for plant growth and development.Although PHT1 has been reported in many plants at home and abroad,it is rarely studied in potato.Therefore,it is of great significance to study the PHT1 family members in order to understand the molecular response mechanism of potato in low phosphate state.In this study,a total of 6 potato PHT1 genes were identified and isolated.It was found that after the expression of different members of potato PHT1 gene,there were certain differences in amino acids and proteins,and the transmembrane domains ranged from 6 to 12.The difference in the secondary and tertiary protein structure of potato PHT1 also led to a difference in protein morphology.In addition,the expression of the PHT1 gene in potato increased obviously during 3~9 h of Pi deficiency stress.Overall,the expression levels of different genes in roots,stems and leaves are distinctly different,but the expression levels of the StPHT1;6 and StPHT1;10 genes are very high in roots,stems and leaves,indicating that these two genes may participate in the absorption of Pi in potato and play a role in Pi translocation.These two genes play a major role in the regulation of expression under short-term Pi deficiency stress.Our results provide an important reference for further understanding the evolution and function of potato phosphate transporters,and have important significance for improving the ability of potato to tolerate low Pi.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF KR-008 IN BIOLOGICAL FLUIDS

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of KR-008 and its metabolite in biological fluids was developed The samples were injected directly without further treatment,the compounds were separated and analysed on a reversed- phase column under isocratic conditions,including ion pairing.Concentrations in urine and bile were determined by an external standard method.The detection limit was 0.8μg/ml in urine.Preliminary data showed that,following i.p.administration(120mg/kg)of KR-008 to rats,approximately 2.8% of the dose was excreted in urine as unchanged compound and more than 8.9% was as a metabolite;in bile it was 0.73% excreted as unchanged form and above 0.29% as the metabolite.The peak biliary concentration of KR-008 was 0.39mg/ml at 20min after dosing.

Effects of leaf litter extraction fluid from dominant forest tree species on functional characteristics of soil microbial communities

The effects of extraction fluids from the leaf litter from different dominant tree species on the functional characteristics of the soil microbial community were studied to understand how changes in soil quality and synergism between plants and soil contribute to the process of forest succession. Leaf litter from dominant tree species at different stages of succession were collected and extracted with sterile deionized water. After treating the soil of abandoned land with the different extraction fluids, we analyzed changes in carbon utilization of the soil microbial community in Biolog EcoPlates, then considered these results with those of our previous study on forest vegetation succession in the Malan forest. The leaf litter enhanced the metabolic capacity and functional diversity of the soil microbes, especially in the following combinations： the leaf litter of Quercus liaotungensis-Pinus tabulae- formis, P. tabulaeformis-Betula platyphylla, Q. liaotun- gensis and P. tabulaeformiss. Second, when litter from onespecies evaluated, the species enhanced metabolism and diversity in the order of their successional relationship： B. Platyphylla 〈 P. tabulaeformis 〈 Q. liaotungensis. After soils were treated with different leaf litters at 25 ℃ for 7 days, the sorting pattern of the PCA values, based on the similarity of carbon source utilization by the soil microbes, corresponded to the successional pattern on the basis of the similarity of community composition of forest plants. Thus, changes in soil properties caused by leaf litter from different dominant trees probably play a unique role in the successional pattern of a forest community. We thus pro- pose a successional mechanism that underlies the natural succession process within the Malan forest region. When the dominant forest species of the climax successional stage develops during the early successional stages, its forest litter probably alters soil properties such that the soil becomes unsuitable for the gradual growth and regenera- tion of the original dominant tree species but promotes the growth and establishment of later-invasive plants. In this way, the originally dominant species is replaced by the newly dominant tree species during forest succession.

辣蓼挥发油的提取及其GC/MS分析

采用水蒸气蒸馏提取辣蓼挥发油,对蒸馏时间、萃取溶剂、叶片碎度进行三因子三水平正交试验,结果表明,最佳蒸馏时间为150 min,最佳萃取溶剂为乙醚,最佳叶片碎度为完全剪碎。将得到的挥发油进行GC/MS分析,水蒸气蒸馏所得挥发油各化学成分含量分别为:烯(7.19%)、酮(40.79%)、酸(2.56%)、醇(9.87%)、醛(2.31%)。

Optical colorimetric sensor arrays for chemical and biological analysis

In recent years, the sensor array has attracted much attention in the field of complex system analysis on the basis of its good selectivity and easy operation. Many optical colorimetric sensor arrays are designed to analyze multi-target analytes due to the good sensitivity of optical signal. In this review, we introduce the targeting analytes, sensing mechanisms and data processing methods of the optical colorimetric sensor array based on optical probes(including organic molecular probes, polymer materials and nanomaterials). The research progress in the detection of metal ions, anions, toxic gases, organic compounds, biomolecules and living organisms(such as DNA, amino acids, proteins, microbes and cells) and actual sample mixtures are summarized here.The review illustrates the types, application advantages and development prospects of the optical colorimetric sensor array to help broad readers to understand the research progress in the application of chemical sensor array.

Separation and Determination of Methylnaltrexone in Human Plasma Samples After Oral Administration by HPLC Coupled with Electrochemical Detection

A high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) method coupled with electrochemical detection and solid phase extraction is described for the separation and determination of methylnaltrexone(MNTX), a quaternary opioid antagonist, in human clinical plasma samples after oral administration. Linearity of the standard curve for MNTX was found in the range of 4.0_150 ng/mL and was statistically conformed. The correlation coefficient(r2) and calibration equation obtained from linear regression analysis are 0.9999 and Y=54.27X-0.22, where Y and X represent the peak area and concentration of MNTX, respectively. The detection limit of MNTX under the present experimental conditions is 2.0 ng/mL by estimating at a ratio of 3 of signal to noise. The mean recovery of MNTX in human plasma is higher than 97%. The analytical method was applied to the pharmacokinetic determination of MNTX after single dose oral administration. These data demonstrate that the change of MNTX plasma concentration versus time is obvious. MNTX level of plasma reaches to a plateau between 45 to 120 minutes and then falls slowly. The content of MNTX in plasma sample maintains at an obviously detectable level after twelve hours of oral administration. The pharmacokinetic parameters for a single dose of 19.2 mg/kg in plasma are c_~max =206.42(±16.53) ng/mL and t_~max =60 min.

Biological analysis of woodpecker’s brain after impact experiments

Woodpeckers can withstand a fierce impact during pecking.Previous studies have focused on the biomechanical analysis of the pecking process,the properties of the beak and hyoid bone of woodpecker;however,the biological characteristics of the woodpecker brain are also important in resisting impact injuries.We employed impact experiments and biological analysis in normal and injured brains to reveal the impact-resistant biological characteristics of woodpecker brains,as well as the impact energy’s biological effects on the woodpecker brain.The hoopoe,which has a similar size but only a slight pecking behavior,was selected as the control group to compare brain morphology and neuronal cells differences in normal brains between woodpecker and hoopoe by sectioning and staining.A loading device was designed to conduct a quantifiable impact energy to the woodpeckers’head.Four groups of woodpeckers were impacted with the same energy on the forehead,beak,tempus and occiput,respectively.Biological changes in the injured brains were evaluated by Nissl staining and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The results showed that:(1)woodpeckers had a larger cerebellum and a higher density of Nissl bodies than hoopoe;(2)Nissl apoptosis appeared in the brain samples after the forehead and the occiput impact experiments,but no obvious Nissl body apoptosis was observed after impact on the tempus and the beak;(3)β-amyloid protein accumulated in the normal status woodpecker brain.This study reveals that:woodpecker brain morphology is well-adapted to impact,woodpecker heads display location-dependent protective performance,with beak and tempus regions having a better protective performance than the forehead and occiput,Nissl apoptosis appears in injured woodpecker brains,and that the accumulation ofβ-amyloid protein does not show a direct relationship with the injury state of woodpecker’s brain tissue in our study.

Survival benefit of younger gastric cancer patients in China and the United States:A comparative study

BACKGROUND The impact of racial and regional disparity on younger patients with gastric cancer(GC) remains unclear.AIM To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics, prognostic nomogram, and biological analysis of younger GC patients in China and the United States.METHODS From 2000 to 2018, GC patients aged less than 40 years were enrolled from the China National Cancer Center and the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database. Biological analysis was performed based on the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Survival analysis was conducted via Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox proportional hazards models.RESULTS A total of 6098 younger GC patients were selected from 2000 to 2018, of which 1159 were enrolled in the China National Cancer Center, and 4939 were collected from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database. Compared with the United States group, younger patients in China revealed better survival outcomes(P < 0.01). For race/ethnicity, younger Chinese cases also enjoyed a better prognosis than that in White and Black datasets(P < 0.01). After stratification by pathological Tumor-Node-Metastasis(pTNM) stage, a survival advantage was observed in China with pathological stage Ⅰ, Ⅲ, and Ⅳ(all P < 0.01), whereas younger GC patients with stage Ⅱ showed no difference(P = 0.16). In multivariate analysis, predictors in China involved period of diagnosis, linitis plastica, and pTNM stage, while race, diagnostic period, sex, location, differentiation, linitis plastica, signet ring cell, pTNM stage, surgery, and chemotherapy were confirmed in the United States group. Prognostic nomograms for younger patients were established, with the area under the curve of 0.786 in the China group and of 0.842 in the United States group. Moreover, three gene expression profiles(GSE27342, GSE51105, and GSE38749) were enrolled in further biological analysis, and distinctive molecular characteristics were identified in younger GC patients among different regions.CONCLUSION Except for younger cases with pTNM stage Ⅱ, a survival advantage was observed in the China group with pathological stage Ⅰ, Ⅲ, and Ⅳ compared to the United States group, which might be partly due to differences in surgical approaches and the improvement of the cancer screening in China. The nomogram model provided an insightful and applicable tool to evaluate the prognosis of younger patients in China and the United States. Furthermore, biological analysis of younger patients was performed among different regions, which might partly explain the histopathological behavior and survival disparity in the subpopulations.

Bimetallic synergistic Pd-Pt icosahedra as highly active peroxidase-like mimics for colorimetric analysis

Thanks to the synergistic effect,the bimetallic catalysts show better catalytic activity than the single metal cat-alysts and become a focus of research in heterogeneous catalysis.In this study,we successfully prepared Pd-Pt icosahedra which show high peroxidase-like activity under the synergistic effects of Pd and Pt.V max of the Pd-Pt icosahedra was significantly enhanced by 1.66 times for 3,3’,5,5’-tetramethylbenzidine(TMB)as the substrate and 1.23 times for H_(2)O_(2) as the substrate,compared to that of the Pd icosahedra alone.By harnessing the supe-rior peroxidase-like activity of Pd-Pt icosahedra,we successfully utilized Pd-Pt icosahedral nanozymes in various biological analyses based on colorimetry.In most cases,using a Pd-Pt icosahedra/H_(2)O_(2)/TMB system,glucose,glutathione(GSH),acid phosphatase(ACP),and alkaline phosphatase(ALP)were detected over a wide range of 0.05∼0.20 mM,0∼20 mM,0∼10 U/L and 0∼12 U/L.In this study,we prepared a novel bimetallic nanozyme that exhibited excellent peroxidase-like activity owing to the bimetallic synergistic effect,thus demonstrating the promising potential of Pd-Pt icosahedra in the field of bioanalysis.

Simultaneous Fe(Ⅲ) reduction and ammonia oxidation process in Anammox sludge

In recent years, there have been a number of reports on the phenomenon in which ferric iron（Fe（Ⅲ）） is reduced to ferrous iron [Fe（Ⅱ）] in anaerobic environments, accompanied by simultaneous oxidation of ammonia to NO2-, NO3-, or N2.However, studies on the relevant reaction characteristics and mechanisms are rare. Recently, in research on the effect of Fe（Ⅲ） on the activity of Anammox sludge, excess ammonia oxidization has also been found.Hence, in the present study, Fe（Ⅲ） was used to serve as the electron acceptor instead of NO2-,and the feasibility and characteristics of Anammox coupled to Fe（Ⅲ） reduction（termed Feammox） were investigated. After 160 days of cultivation, the conversion rate of ammonia in the reactor was above 80%, accompanied by the production of a large amount of NO3-and a small amount of NO2-. The total nitrogen removal rate was up to 71.8%. Furthermore,quantities of Fe（Ⅱ） were detected in the sludge fluorescence in situ hybridization（FISH） and denaturated gradient gel electrophoresis（DGGE） analyses further revealed that in the sludge, some Anammox bacteria were retained, and some microbes were enriched during the acclimatization process. We thus deduced that in Anammox sludge, Fe（Ⅲ） reduction takes place together with ammonia oxidation to NO2-and NO3-along with the Anammox process.

Continuous desulfurization and bacterial community structure of an integrated bioreactor developed to treat SO_2 from a gas stream

Sulfide dioxide（SO2） is often released during the combustion processes of fossil fuels. An integrated bioreactor with two sections, namely, a suspended zone（SZ） and immobilized zone（IZ）, was applied to treat SO2 for 6 months. Sampling ports were set in both sections to investigate the performance and microbial characteristics of the integrated bioreactor. SO2 was effectively removed by the synergistic effect of the SZ and IZ, and more than 85%removal efficiency was achieved at steady state. The average elimination capacity of SO2 in the bioreactor was 2.80 g/（m3·hr） for the SZ and 1.50 g/（m3· hr） for the IZ. Most SO2 was eliminated in the SZ. The liquid level of the SZ and the water content ratio of the packing material in the IZ affected SO2 removal efficiency. The SZ served a key function not only in SO2 elimination, but also in moisture maintenance for the IZ. The desired water content in IZ could be feasibly maintained without any additional pre-humidification facilities. Clone libraries of 16 S r DNA directly amplified from the DNA of each sample were constructed and sequenced to analyze the community composition and diversity in the individual zones.The desulfurization bacteria dominated both zones. Paenibacillus sp. was present in both zones, whereas Ralstonia sp. existed only in the SZ. The transfer of SO2 to the SZ involved dissolution in the nutrient solution and biodegradation by the sulfur-oxidizing bacteria.This work presents a potential biological treatment method for waste gases containing hydrophilic compounds.

String kernels construction and fusion:a survey with bioinformatics application

The kernel method,especially the kernel-fusion method,is widely used in social networks,computer vision,bioinformatics,and other applications.It deals effectively with nonlinear classification problems,which can map linearly inseparable biological sequence data from low to high-dimensional space for more accurate differentiation,enabling the use of kernel methods to predict the structure and function of sequences.Therefore,the kernel method is significant in the solution of bioinformatics problems.Various kernels applied in bioinformatics are explained clearly,which can help readers to select proper kernels to distinguish tasks.Mass biological sequence data occur in practical applications.Research of the use of machine learning methods to obtain knowledge,and how to explore the structure and function of biological methods for theoretical prediction,have always been emphasized in bioinformatics.The kernel method has gradually become an important learning algorithm that is widely used in gene expression and biological sequence prediction.This review focuses on the requirements of classification tasks of biological sequence data.It studies kernel methods and optimization algorithms,including methods of constructing kernel matrices based on the characteristics of biological sequences and kernel fusion methods existing in a multiple kernel learning framework.

Rare-Earth Doping Graphitic Carbon Nitride Endows Distinctive Multiple Emissions with Large Stokes Shifts

Two-dimensional(2D)graphitic carbon nitride(g-C_(3)N_(4))possesses a unique geometric configuration featuring a superimposed heterocyclic sp2 carbon and nitrogen framework.Its fluorescence may be attributed to π-π^(*),lone pair(LP)-π^(*),or LP-δ^(*)transitions.So far,the manipulation of its fluorescence emissions is largely unexploited and remains challenging.Herein,for the first time,rare-earth doping into the backbone structure of a g-C_(3)N_(4) framework under microwave agitation endows unprecedented fluorescence nature,with the emergence of two exceptional new fluorescence emissions in the 450-700 nm range.With terbium-doped g-C_(3)N_(4):Tb as a representative,these emissions exhibit distinctive features,that is,very sharp fluorescence peaks with narrow full width at half maximum(FWHM)(peak width at half-height)of<12 nm,quantumyields of 2.3±0.0% and 7.6±0.1% for the new emissions at λ_(ex)/λ_(em)=290/490 nm,and 290/545 nm,respectively;and a large Stokes shift of>200 nm.These features of g-C_(3)N_(4):Tb are most advantageous for applications in various fields,as demonstrated by(1)tracking biodistribution of g-C_(3)N_(4) in vivo with mass spectrometric imaging where the doped terbium serves as a tag,(2)a biometrics study facilitating the identification of an individual through fingerprint,and(3)anti-counterfeiting with g-C_(3)N_(4)∶Tb as a dual-functional marker to facilitate fluorescence and mass spectrometric imaging.