Rubusoside As a Multifunctional Stabilizer for Novel Nanocrystal-Based Solid Dispersions with a High Drug Loading: A Case Study.

The oral bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs has always been the focus of pharmaceutical researchers. We innovatively combined nanocrystal technology and solid dispersion technology to prepare novel nanocrystalline solid dispersions (NCSDs), which enable both the solidification and redispersion of nanocrystals, offering a promising new pathway for oral delivery of insoluble Chinese medicine ingredients. The rubusoside (Rub) was first used as the multifunctional stabilizer of novel apigenin nanocrystal-based solid dispersions (AP-NSD), improving the in vitro solubilization rate of the insoluble drug apigenin(AP).

Pre-transjugular-intrahepatic-portosystemic-shunt measurement of hepatic venous pressure gradient and its clinical application: A comparison study.

Background: It is controversial whether transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) placement can improve long-term survival.

Aim: To assess whether TIPS placement improves survival in patients with hepatic-venous-pressure-gradient (HVPG) ≥ 16 mmHg, based on HVPG-related risk stratification.

Methods: Consecutive variceal bleeding patients treated with endoscopic therapy + nonselective β-blockers (NSBBs) or covered TIPS placement were retrospectively enrolled between January 2013 and December 2019.

Effect of molecular distillation on the anti-inflammatory activity and neurotoxicity of essential oil.

essential oil (AEO) has been shown to have good pharmacological activities for the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, but increasing the dose may cause toxicity. Therefore, we studied the toxic and pharmacodynamic components of AEO by molecular distillation (MD). Anti-inflammatory activity was assessed using RAW264.

Curculigoside Represses the Proliferation and Metastasis of Osteosarcoma via the JAK/STAT and NF-κB Signaling Pathways.

Curculigoside (Cur) is a natural component from Curculigo orchioides Gaertn, with various bioactivities. The function of Cur in the nervous system and osteoarthritis has been reported. However, its role in osteosarcoma (OS) needs to be investigated.

Number of endoscopic sessions to eradicate varices identifies high risk of rebleeding in cirrhotic patients.

Background And Aims: Risk stratification to identify patients with high risk of variceal rebleeding is particularly important in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. In clinical practice, eliminating gastroesphageal varices thoroughly after sequential endoscopic treatment reduces the rebleeding rate, however, no simple method has been build to predict high risk of variceal rebleeding. We conducted this study to explore the value of the number of endoscopic sessions required to eradicate gastroesphageal varices in identifying high risk of rebleeding.

Relationship between subclasses low-density lipoprotein and carotid plaque.

Backgound: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol can lead to the occurrence of atherosclerotic plaques, but patients with normal LDL still have atherosclerotic plaques in clinical practice. With the proposal of LDL subclass, this experiment investigated the relationship between the LDL content of different subclasses and the stability of carotid plaques.

Methods: Plaque stability was suggested by carotid ultrasound results.

Increase in Free Hepatic Venous Pressure Response to Beta-Blockers Predicts Variceal Bleeding in Cirrhotic Patients.

Background And Aims: Nonselective beta-blockers (NSBBs) are the main drug to prevent portal hypertension. It could alter free hepatic venous pressure (FHVP); however, the significance is unknown. This prospective study was to explore the change of FHVP after use of NSBBs and its predictive value for gastroesophageal varices (GOV) bleeding in cirrhotic patients.

Tailor-made deep eutectic solvents extraction combined with UPLC-MS/MS determination of icarrin and icarisid II in rat plasma and its comparative pharmacokinetic application.

Using green and high efficient solvents to extract and trace active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the complex biological samples was still challenging. In this paper, a co-friendly, fast pretreatment method with high extraction efficiency, based on the tailor-made deep eutectic solvent (DES) system, combined with ultra performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was developed and validated for the determination of icarrin and icarisid II in rat plasma samples, which can be further applied to comparative pharmacokinetic studies after oral administration of Herba Epimedii and icarrin monomer in rats, respectively. PrE (l-proline: ethylene glycol = 1:4 mol/mol) and acetonitrile were optimized and combined as the tailor-made DES at the volumetric ratio of 3:7 to extract icarrin and icarisid II, and to precipitate the protein in rat plasma in one step simultaneously.

Spleen Stiffness Predicts Survival after Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt in Cirrhotic Patients.

Objectives: Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is an effective intervention for portal hypertensive complications. Little is known about the ability of spleen stiffness (SS) for predicting the survival of cirrhotic patients undergoing TIPS. This study is to evaluate the influence of SS detected by point shear wave elastography (pSWE) in predicting survival after TIPS.

Endoscopic therapy + β-blocker vs. covered transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt for prevention of variceal rebleeding in cirrhotic patients with hepatic venous pressure gradient ≥16 mmHg.

Background And Objective: Currently, monitoring hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) have been proved to be the best predictor for the risk of variceal bleeding. We performed the study to evaluate the effect of endoscopic therapy + β-blocker vs. covered transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) for the prevention of variceal rebleeding in cirrhotic patients with HVPG ≥16 mmHg.

A nomogram to predict the risk of hepatic encephalopathy after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt in Cirrhotic Patients.

Background And Aim: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a serious complication of decompensated liver cirrhosis, affecting the prognosis of patients underwent transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS). We aim to create a nomogram to predict hepatic encephalopathy- free survivals (HEFS) after TIPS in cirrhotic patients and select appropriate candidates for TIPS.

Methods: Cirrhotic patients underwent TIPS from 2015 to 2018 in our department were included.

Migration of heavy metals and migration-degradation of phenanthrene in soil using electro kinetic-laccase combined remediation system.

In order to solve the problem of heavy metal-organic compound soil pollution, in this paper, we developed a highly efficient electro kinetic-laccase combined remediation (EKLCR) system. The results showed that the EKLCR system had an obvious migration effect on heavy metals (copper and cadmium) and good migration-degradation effect on phenanthrene. The migration rates of copper and cadmium were 48.

Deep eutectic solvent combined with ultrasound-assisted extraction as high efficient extractive media for extraction and quality evaluation of Herba Epimedii.

Deep eutectic solvent (DES) combined with ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) was successfully developed and fully validated to simultaneously determine Icarrin, IcarisidⅡ, Epimcdin A, Epimcdin B and Epimcdin C for the quality evaluation of Herba Epimedii. Twelve kinds of DESs were initially screened, and then the effective extraction was achieved by the tailor-made DES consisting of the mixture of l-proline and ethylene glycol with the molar ratio of 1:4 in this study. The optimal conditions were further optimized by the orthogonal experimental design (OED).

Sequential release of drugs form a dual-delivery system based on pH-responsive nanofibrous mats towards wound care.

Using Chitosan/PEO as the shell and PCL as the core, chitosan-polyethylene oxide/polycaprolactone nanofibrous mats were prepared successfully by coaxial electrospinning for co-load and sequential co-delivery of two drugs. Herein, lidocaine hydrochloride (Lid), used for pain relief, was added to the shell, and curcumin (Cur), an anti-inflammatory agent, was introduced into the core. Sodium bicarbonate (SB) was also added to the core layer to provide wound microenvironment sensitivity.

Influence of Vegetation Coverage and Climate Environment on Soil Organic Carbon in the Qilian Mountains.

Studying the spatial distribution pattern of soil organic carbon and its influencing factors is essential for understanding the carbon cycle in terrestrial ecosystems. Soil samples from four active layers of typical vegetation types (Populus, subalpine shrubs, Picea crassifolia Kom, and alpine meadow) in the upper reaches of Shiyang River basin in the Qilian Mountains were collected to determine the soil organic carbon content and physicochemical properties. The results show the following: (1) There are significant differences in the vertical distribution of Soil organic carbon in the watershed, and the Soil organic carbon content decreases significantly with increasing soil depth.

Remediation and improvement of 2,4-dichlorophenol contaminated soil by biochar-immobilized laccase.

In this paper, laccase was immobilized with the adsorption-crosslinking method in which biochar was used as the carrier and glutaraldehyde was used as the crosslinking agent. Firstly, the optimal immobilization conditions and optimal operating conditions were investigated, and then the stability of both free laccase and immobilized laccase was compared. Finally, the 2,4-dichlorophenol contaminated soil was remedied with both free laccase and immobilized laccase, and the improvement on the remediation of the contaminated soil by immobilized laccase was analysed through the ecological evaluation.

Degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol contaminated soil by ultrasound-enhanced laccase.

In this paper, ultrasound was used to enhance the degradation effect of laccase for 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) in soil. The degradation effect and mechanism of the ultrasound-enhanced laccase were investigated. From the results, the degradation rate of 2,4-DCP can reach as high as 51.

TWEAK promotes hepatic stellate cell migration through activating EGFR/Src and PI3K/AKT pathways.

Activated human hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) showed enhanced ability of migration compared with quiescent HSCs, which is pivotal in liver fibrogenesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) on the migration of activated HSCs and to explore the relevant potential mechanisms. Human HSCs LX-2 cells were cultured with TWEAK.

Ultrasound-assisted emulsification liquid phase microextraction method based on deep eutectic solvent as extraction solvent for determination of five pesticides in traditional Chinese medicine.

A kind of green solvents termed deep eutectic solvent (DES) have been considered alternatives to traditional organic solvents. In this study, a method was developed for determination of five pesticide residues including triadimenol, fipronil, tebuconazole, hexaconazole and diniconazole in five different traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). In the developed method, DES was selected as extraction solvent, ultrasound-assisted emulsification liquid phase microextraction (UA-ELPME) was used for extraction and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with a diode array detector (DAD) was used for quantification.

Comparison of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt for treatment of variceal bleeding in patients with cirrhosis with or without spontaneous portosystemic shunt.

Background And Aims: Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is an effective intervention for portal hypertensive complications in cirrhosis. Spontaneous portosystemic shunts (SPSSs) may increase the risk of post-TIPS complications and mortality. This study was done to evaluate the safety and efficacy of TIPS for treating variceal bleeding between patients with and without SPSSs.

Prognostic value of pretreatment albumin/globulin ratio in digestive system cancers: A meta-analysis.

The albumin/globulin ratio (AGR) has been widely reported to be a potential predictor of prognosis in digestive system cancers (DSCs), but convincing conclusions have not been made. Therefore, herein, we performed a meta-analysis of relevant studies regarding this topic to evaluate the prognostic value of AGR in patients with DSCs. Three databases, including PubMed, EMBase, and Web of science, were searched comprehensively for eligible studies through September 8, 2017.

A novel inspection robot for nuclear station steam generator secondary side with self-localization.

Nuclear energy is one of the most important clean energy on earth presently. The steam generator secondary side is the key device of nuclear power station. As an important branch of special robot, nuclear robot is the most convenient and effective mean to inspect the steam generator.

Spatiotemporal characteristics of hydrochemistry in Asian arid inland basin-a case study of Shiyang River Basin.

Inland rivers play a key role in supplying water for domestic and agricultural purposes in Asian arid inland basin. This paper investigates the chemical composition of precipitation, river water, and groundwater, providing evidence for the influencing factors the water composition in the Shiyang River Basin. Water samples were collected and analyzed to determine the content of major cations (Ca, Mg, Na, K, and NH+ 4) and anions (HCO- 3, Cl, NO- 3, NO- 2, F, and SO2-4), total solid solubility, and pH values.