Penta-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose, a hydrolysable tannin from Radix Paeoniae Alba, inhibits adipogenesis and TNF-α-mediated inflammation in 3T3-L1 cells.

Penta-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose (PGG) was purified and identified from Radix Paeoniae Alba by HSCCC and HPLC/ESI-MS, and its inhibitory effects on adipogenesis and TNF-α-induced inflammation were assessed in 3T3-L1 cell line. The results showed that PGG dose-dependently reduced intracellular lipids accumulation, and this involved decrease the expression levels of major adipogenic markers, PPARγ, C/EBP α, through MAPKs inhibition. This was accompanied by a reduction of lipogenic genes, ACC, FAS, and SCD-1, involved in fatty acid synthesis.

MicroRNA-30b regulates insulin sensitivity by targeting SERCA2b in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background & Aims: Insulin resistance is strongly associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a chronic, obesity-related liver disease. Increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress plays an important role in the development of insulin resistance. In this study, we investigated the roles of miRNAs in regulating ER stress in the liver of rats with obesity.

Ro41-5253, a selective antagonist of retinoic acid receptor α, ameliorates chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced depressive-like behaviors in rats: Involvement of regulating HPA axis and improving hippocampal neuronal deficits.

Accumulating reports have highlighted an association between excess retinoids and depression development. Retinoic acid receptor α (RARα) is implicated in the activation of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and closely involved in the etiology of depression, suggesting it might be a novel target of antidepressant. This study investigated the antidepressant potential of Ro41-5253 (a selective RARα antagonist) and related mechanisms using a depression rat model imitated by social isolation and chronic unpredicted mild stress (CUMS).

Genomic Heterogeneity and Branched Evolution of Early Stage Primary Acral Melanoma Shown by Multiregional Microdissection Sequencing.

Acral melanoma (AM) is an extremely aggressive subtype of melanoma that is prevalent in eastern Asia. AM exhibits high intertumoral and intratumoral heterogeneities with poor prognosis. To associate the genomic heterogeneities with phenotypic traits and efficacy of treatments, a method is needed to recover genomic information from limited samples with high specificity and sensitivity from early stage AM specimens.

Migration of an intrauterine device causing severe hydronephrosis progressing to renal failure: A case report.

Rationale: Intrauterine device (IUD) is commonly used in China. Its complications include uterine perforation, IUD ectopic migration, etc. However, a migrated IUD rarely leads to renal failure.

Enhanced Lithium-Ion Conductivity of Polymer Electrolytes by Selective Introduction of Hydrogen into the Anion.

The anion chemistry of lithium salts plays a pivotal role in dictating the physicochemical and electrochemical performance of solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs), thus affecting the cyclability of all-solid-state lithium metal batteries (ASSLMBs). The bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide anion (TFSI ) has long been studied as the most promising candidate for SPEs; however, the Li-ion conductivities of the TFSI-based SPEs still remain low (Li-ion transference number: ca. 0.

Cost-Effectiveness of Magnetic Resonance-Guided Focused Ultrasound for Essential Tremor.

Background: Radiofrequency thalamotomy and deep brain stimulation are current treatments for moderate to severe medication-refractory essential tremor. However, they are invasive and thus carry risks. Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound is a new, less invasive surgical option.

Segregation and Morphological Evolution of Si Phase during Electromagnetic Directional Solidification of Hypereutectic Al-Si Alloys.

Understanding the Si segregation behavior in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys is important for controlling the micro- and macrostructures of ingots. The macrosegregation mechanism and morphological evolution of the primary Si phase were investigated during electromagnetic directional solidification (EMDS). Both numerical simulations and experimental results strongly suggested that the severe macrosegregation of the primary Si phase was caused by fluid flow and temperature distribution.

In situ growth of α-FeO@CoO core-shell wormlike nanoarrays for a highly efficient photoelectrochemical water oxidation reaction.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting represents a promising strategy to convert solar energy into chemical energy in the form of hydrogen, but its performance is severely limited by the sluggish water oxidation reaction. Herein, for the first time, we report the direct assembly of an ultrathin, uniform, and dense layer of Co3O4 on wormlike nanostructured hematite (WN-α-Fe2O3) to form a large-area and high-density WN-α-Fe2O3@Co3O4 core-shell nanoarray via in situ hydrothermal growth followed by calcination, in which the electrostatic force between WN-α-Fe2O3 and the reactants, pH- and temperature-controlled structures of WN-α-Fe2O3, and ultralow nucleation rate of Co3O4 precursors all play critical roles. The obtained heteronanostructure array shows a photocurrent density of 3.

Insight into photocatalytic activity, universality and mechanism of copper/chlorine surface dual-doped graphitic carbon nitride for degrading various organic pollutants in water.

It is still a challenging work to realize the universality of photocatalytic materials for unselective removing various organic pollutants in water. Here a surface dual-doped Cu/Cl-g-CN photocatalyst is firstly prepared, which exhibits much more superior photocatalytic performance for degrading multifarious persistent organic pollutants including tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl), o-chlorophenol, bisphenol A and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole in water than pure g-CN. The high-efficiency and unselective photocatalytic degradation performance derives from the surface dual-doped effect of Cu/Cl elements on g-CN, which results in the extended visible light harvest range, elevated CB potential and improved the separation efficiency of charge carriers.

Role for intraflagellar transport in building a functional transition zone.

Genetic disorders caused by cilia dysfunction, termed ciliopathies, frequently involve the intraflagellar transport (IFT) system. Mutations in IFT subunits-including IFT-dynein motor DYNC2H1-impair ciliary structures and Hedgehog signalling, typically leading to "skeletal" ciliopathies such as Jeune asphyxiating thoracic dystrophy. Intriguingly, IFT gene mutations also cause eye, kidney and brain ciliopathies often linked to defects in the transition zone (TZ), a ciliary gate implicated in Hedgehog signalling.

Anti-glycation and anti-hardening effects of microencapsulated mulberry polyphenols in high-protein-sugar ball models through binding with some glycation sites of whey proteins.

Assembling between polyphenols and proteins has been freshly spotlighted. We studied the antiglycation and anti-hardening effects of microencapsulated mulberry polyphenols (MMPs) in a high-protein-sugar ball (HPSB) model during storage using multi-dimensional approaches, including UPLC-ESI-MS/MS, SDS-PAGE, MALDI-TOF-MS, FTIR, and a molecular docking study. It was found that MMPs significantly relegated the browning development, AGEs, and/or CML levels of HPSB after 45 d of storage at 45 °C.

Synergetic effect of Ni and 5-acrylamidobenzoboroxole functional groups anchoring on magnetic nanoparticles for enhanced immobilization of horseradish peroxidase.

In this work, a novel Ni&AABOB bifunctional core-shell magnetic composite nanoparticles (MNPs), FeO@p(AABOB-co-AIM-Ni), were synthesized for the immobilization of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Two kinds of interaction are simultaneously incorporated to improve the stability and reusability of immobilized HRP: one is the coordination between Ni and amide group in HRP, and the other is the interaction of the wulff-type boronic acid group with cis-diol-containing HRP which belongs to a type of glycoproteins. Accordingly, the proposed approach achieved high enrichment capacity (174.

Biallelic Mutations in LRRC56, Encoding a Protein Associated with Intraflagellar Transport, Cause Mucociliary Clearance and Laterality Defects.

Primary defects in motile cilia result in dysfunction of the apparatus responsible for generating fluid flows. Defects in these mechanisms underlie disorders characterized by poor mucus clearance, resulting in susceptibility to chronic recurrent respiratory infections, often associated with infertility; laterality defects occur in about 50% of such individuals. Here we report biallelic variants in LRRC56 (known as oda8 in Chlamydomonas) identified in three unrelated families.

Toxicity effects of a novel potent triple reuptake inhibitor, LPM570065, on the fertility and early embryonic development in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have developed as novel antidepressants and have been determined to possess higher efficacy and less adverse effects compared to other antidepressants. Our previous studies have showed that LPM570065, a new potent TRI, is relatively nontoxic in acute, subchronic toxicity and genotoxicity evaluations. In the current study, toxicity of LPM570065 was further evaluated on the fertility and early embryonic development in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Biocoordination Polymer Cross-Linking Structure to a 3D Star Topology Inorganic Photocatalyst Nanocrystal with Improved Hydrogen Evolution Performance.

An inorganic photocatalyst with a novel 3D star topology (ST) framework was obtained via multiple cross-linking of biocoordination polymers in one-step solvothermal conditions. It possessesd a large surface area (149.36 m·g), among the highest value of the current reports, and represented the quantum size effect because of its 3D ST structure.

Combining In Silico Design and Biomimetic Assembly: A New Approach for Developing High-Performance Dynamic Responsive Bio-Nanomaterials.

Major challenge remains in the design and fabrication of artificial hierarchical materials that mimic the structural and functional features of these natural materials. Here, a novel biomimetic strategy to assemble hierarchical materials from biological nanobuilding blocks is demonstrated. The constituents and structures of the materials are designed by multiscale modeling and then experimentally constructed by multiscale self-assembly.

[Simultaneous determination of 11 strobilurin fungicides in different vegetation types of soil by QuEChERS-ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

A method for the simultaneous determination of the 11 strobilurin fungicides (coumoxystrobin, tricyclopyricarb, picoxystrobin, fluoxastrobin, trifloxystrobin, -metominostrobin, kresoxim-methyl, dimoxystrobin, orysastrobin, pyraoxystrobin and fenaminstrobin) in different vegetation types of soil by QuEChERS-ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was developed. The strobilurin fungicides were extracted with 0.1% (volume percentage) acetic acid-acetonitrile, and cleaned-up with 100 mg primary secondary amine (PSA) and 100 mg C.

Effects of glyphosate on the ovarian function of pregnant mice, the secretion of hormones and the sex ratio of their fetuses.

Glyphosate is the active ingredient of the commercial formulation Roundup, which is used worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the toxic effects of pure glyphosate or Roundup on pregnant mice and their fetuses during pregnancy. From gestation days (GDs) 1-19, ICR mice were orally administered distilled water, 0.

Spermidine ameliorates non-alcoholic fatty liver disease through regulating lipid metabolism via AMPK.

In this study, treatment of high-fat diet-induced obesity (DIO) C57BL/6J mice with spermidine decreased body weight and subcutaneous and visceral fat content, reversed the apparent hepatosteatosis, and reduced hepatic intracellular and serum triglyceride and total cholesterol concentrations. Moreover, spermidine treatment improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in DIO mice. The mechanism studies indicated that spermidine indeed increased the phosphorylation of hepatic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and inhibited the expression of lipogenic genes in vivo and in vitro.

Chloride channel-3 mediates multidrug resistance of cancer by upregulating P-glycoprotein expression.

Chloride channel-3 (ClC-3), a member of the ClC family of voltage-gated Cl channels, is involved in the resistance of tumor cells to chemotherapeutic drugs. Here, we report a new mechanism for ClC-3 in mediating multidrug resistance (MDR). ClC-3 was highly expressed in the P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-dependent human lung adenocarcinoma cell line (A549)/paclitaxel (PTX) and the human breast carcinoma cell line (MCF-7)/doxorubicin (DOX) resistant cells.

Febuxostat in the treatment of gout patients with low serum uric acid level: 1-year finding of efficacy and safety study.

To retrospectively analyze the efficacy and safety of febuxostat on gout patients with low serum uric acid level. A study was conducted in Nanjing First Hospital from October 2015 to September 2016. Thirty nine acute gouty arthritis patients from the emergency and outpatient department were included.

Dynamically Long-Term Imaging of Cellular RNA by Fluorescent Carbon Dots with Surface Isoquinoline Moieties and Amines.

Cellular RNA dynamics are closely associated with a vast range of physiological processes that are mostly long-lasting. To uncover the association between RNA dynamics and these processes, fluorescent RNA probes with high specificity, photostability, and biocompatibility are compulsory. Herein, a series of fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) have been prepared by one-pot hydrothermal treatment of o-, m-, or p-phenylenediamines with triethylenetetramine.