W112 alleviated depressive and liver injury symptoms induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress via gut-liver-brain axis.

Introduction: Several studies indicated that depression is associated with liver injury. The role of probiotics in alleviating depression is focused on improving the abnormalities of the central nervous system through the gut-brain axis, while the effect on liver injury is still unclear. The aim of this study was to elucidate the potential link between the antidepressant effect of a potential probiotic strain W112 and its effect on alleviating liver injury.

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The aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) is an all-aqueous system fabricated from two immiscible aqueous phases. It is spontaneously assembled through physical liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and can create suitable templates like the multicompartment of the intracellular environment. Delicate structures containing multiple compartments make it possible to endow materials with advanced functions.

Antagonism of androgen receptor signaling by aloe-emodin.

Over the past decades, androgen receptor (AR) signaling has been a key driver of both primary and recurrent prostate cancer. In this work, aloe-emodin was identified as a novel AR antagonist, effectively inhibiting AR signaling. Firstly, aloe-emodin can inhibit LNCaP cell growth by promoting apoptosis.

Withaferin A: A potential selective glucocorticoid receptor modulator with anti-inflammatory effect.

Glucocorticoids have been widely applied to various clinical treatment, however some serious side effects may occur during the treatment. It is widely known that glucocorticoids produce a marked effect through binding to glucocorticoid receptor (GR). As withaferin A can provide multiple health benefits, this work aims to confirm withaferin A as a potential selective GR modulator with anti-inflammatory effect.

An integrated in vitro/in silico approach to assess the anti-androgenic potency of isobavachin.

Isobavachin is a dietary flavanone with multiple biological activities. Our previous research has confirmed the estrogenicity of isobavachin, and this work aims to assess the anti-androgenic potency of isobavachin by an integrated in vitro and in silico approach. Isobavachin can limit the proliferation of prostate cancer cells by inducing a distinct G1 cell-cycle arrest.

In vitro and in silico assessment of endocrine disrupting effects of food contaminants through pregnane X receptor.

As a promiscuous xenobiotic receptor, pregnane X receptor (PXR) has been confirmed to participate in numerous physiological process. In addition to the conventional estrogen/androgen receptor, PXR also serves as an alternative target for environmental chemical contaminants. In this work, the PXR-mediated endocrine disrupting effects of typical food contaminants were explored.

Quercetin ameliorates hepatic fat accumulation in high-fat diet-induced obese mice PPARs.

As a natural pigment in food, quercetin possesses multiple biological activities and plays a crucial role in regulating metabolic syndrome. Herein, we aim to explore the potential mechanism of quercetin to ameliorate hepatic fat accumulation. experiments showed that quercetin significantly relieved inflammation response by decreasing the serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels and also improved high-fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis without other organ injuries.

M3W: Multistep Three-Way Clustering.

Three-way clustering has been an active research topic in the field of cluster analysis in recent years. Some efforts are focused on the technique due to its feasibility and rationality. We observe, however, that the existing three-way clustering algorithms struggle to obtain more information and limit the fault tolerance excessively.

ZW18 from Kefir enhances the anti-tumor effect of anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) immunotherapy by modulating the gut microbiota.

Research on probiotics assisting PD-1 inhibitors in anti-tumor therapy has attracted widespread attention. Therefore, it is important to find new probiotic strains with a PD-1 inhibitor promoting effect. This study aims to find a strain with a good promoting effect on PD-1 inhibitor treatment from 5 probiotic strains with the function of modulating the gut microbiota or enhancing immunity.

Humic acids alleviate the toxicity of reduced graphene oxide modified by nanosized palladium in microalgae.

The use of graphene-family materials modified by nanosized palladium (Pd/GFMs) has intensified rapidly in various fields; however, the effects of environmental factors (e.g., natural organic matter (NOM)) on the transformation and ecotoxicity of Pd/GFMs remain largely unknown.

Haze Occurrence Caused by High Gas-to-Particle Conversion in Moisture Air under Low Pollutant Emission in a Megacity of China.

Haze occurred in Zhengzhou, a megacity in the northern China, with the PM as high as 254 μg m on 25 December 2019, despite the emergency response measure of restriction on the emission of anthropogenic pollutants which was implemented on December 19 for suppressing local air pollution. Air pollutant concentrations, chemical compositions, and the origins of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter smaller than 2.5 µm (PM) between 5-26 December were investigated to explore the reasons for the haze occurrence.

Identification of a novel probiotic and its protective effects on NAFLD via modulating gut microbial community.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming the most common progressive liver diseases. Therapeutic strategy based on gut-liver axis and probiotics is a promising approach for the treatment of NAFLD. However, rare probiotics have been applied in NAFLD treatment, and the involved molecular mechanism is not entirely clear.

Identification of 20()-Ginsenoside Rh2 as a Potential EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor.

As the main active ingredients of , ginsenosides possess numerous bioactivities. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was widely used as a valid target in anticancer therapy. Herein, the EGFR targeting activities of 20()-ginsenoside Rh2 (20()-Rh2) and the relationship of their structure-activity were investigated.

Complexation mechanism between 20(R, S)-ginsenoside Rh1 and serum albumin: Multi-spectroscopy, in vitro cytotoxicity, and in silico investigations.

As rare ginsenosides, 20(R, S)-ginsenoside Rh1 [20(R, S)-Rh1] are isomers and have been reported to exhibit multiple biological effects. However, the application of 20(R, S)-Rh1 is still limited due to their poor solubilities and low bioavailabilities. Here, the complexation mechanism between 20(R, S)-Rh1 and serum albumin (SA) was explored by a combination of multi-spectroscopy and in silico investigations.

Glucocorticoid receptor-mediated alleviation of inflammation by berberine: , and investigations.

As a natural dietary ingredient, berberine possesses multiple biological activities including anti-inflammatory effects. In this work, glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-mediated alleviation of inflammation by berberine was investigated by a combination of , , and approaches. The fluorescence polarization assay showed that berberine bound to GR with an IC value of 9.

Complexation of ellagic acid with α-lactalbumin and its antioxidant property.

Ellagic acid possesses numerous bioactivities such as antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory effect. In this work, the binding interaction between ellagic acid and α-lactalbumin was investigated by multi-spectroscopy and the results suggested that ellagic acid could change the conformation of α-lactalbumin. Chromatographic analysis proved the interaction of α-lactalbumin with ellagic acid taken place in less than 30 min and this interaction was stable.

and evaluation of EGFR targeting activities of curcumin and its derivatives.

As polyphenols from , curcumin and its derivatives possess numerous bioactivities. Herein, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) targeting activities of curcumin and its derivatives, as well as their structure-activity relationship were investigated. All of the tested compounds exhibited significant inhibition activities against EGFR kinase in homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence assay.

Anti-inflammatory action of betulin and its potential as a dissociated glucocorticoid receptor modulator.

Although the medical application of betulin has been presented in previous studies, the potential mechanism of the anti-inflammatory action of betulin should be further investigated. This work aims to confirm the hypothesis that betulin has dexamethasone-like anti-inflammatory action through glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-mediated pathway. Firstly, the binding ability of betulin with GR was measured by a fluorescence polarization-based competitive binding assay, with the IC value of 79.

Inhibitory activities of 20(R, S)-protopanaxatriol against epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase.

As major metabolites of protopanaxatriol-type ginsenosides, 20(R, S)-protopanaxatriol [20(R, S)-PPT] display multiple bioactivities. This work aimed to investigate the inhibitory activities of 20(R, S)-PPT against epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase and the potential mechanism. 20(R, S)-PPT inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner and blocked cell cycle progression at G1/G0 phase.

GR-mediated anti-inflammation of α-boswellic acid: Insights from in vitro and in silico studies.

Although multiple bioactivities of α-boswellic acid have been reported, the molecular mechanism of its anti-inflammatory action is not yet clear. Hence, glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-mediated anti-inflammation of α-boswellic acid was investigated in this work. Fluorescence polarization assay suggested that α-boswellic acid bound to GR with IC value of 658.

Enhanced cytotoxicity and antioxidant capacity of kaempferol complexed with α-lactalbumin.

As a dietary polyphenol, kaempferol exhibits numerous biological activities such as antioxidant and anticancer properties. However, its application is limited because of its poor solubility and low permeability. This work aims to investigate the interaction of kaempferol with α-lactalbumin.

[Characteristics and Source Apportionment of Carbon Components in Road Dust in Anshan].

In order to study the characteristics and sources of carbon fractions in PM in road dust in Anshan, road dust samples were collected from nine roads in Anshan in October 2014 and re-suspended on filters using a NK-ZXF sampler to obtain PM samples. A thermal optical carbon analyzer (IMPROVE-TOR) was employed to measure the mass fraction of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) in PM. The results showed that (TC) in PM in road dust was 9.

[Characteristics and Source Apportionment of Carbon Components in Road Dust PM and PM During Spring in Tianjin Derived by Using the Quadrat Sampling Method].

In order to study the characteristics and sources of carbon fractions in PM and PM of road dust in Tianjin, samples of road dust were collected by the quadrat sampling method in April 2015 in Tianjin, and samples were re-suspended on filters by using a NK-ZXF sampler. A Thermal Optical Carbon Analyzer (IMPROVE-TOR) was employed to measure the concentrations of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC), and the pollution characteristics and sources were investigated by non-parametric tests and OC/EC ratio, correlation, and cluster analyses. The results showed that (total carbon, TC) in PM of road dust amounted to 4.

[Characteristics and Source Apportionment of Water-soluble Ions in PM During Winter in Panjin].

In order to study the characteristics and source of water-soluble ions in PM in Panjin, PM samples were collected at three sites in January of 2017, and the levels of eight ions (Na, Mg, Ca, K, NH, SO, Cl, and NO) were determined by ICS-900 ion chromatograph. The characteristics of PM, the water-soluble ion concentration, SOR and NOR calculation, and ion balance calculation were investigated, and a principal component analysis was conducted. The results showed that the concentration of PM and water-soluble ions followed a descending sequence of park > development zone > the second middle school.

[Characteristics and Source Apportionment of Water-soluble Inorganic Ions in Road Dust PM During Spring in Tianjin Using the Quadrat Sampling Method].

In order to collect comprehensive information regarding the characteristics and sources of the water-soluble inorganic ions in road dust (RD) PM in Tianjin, samples of road dust were collected in April 2015 in Tianjin, and then re-suspended on filters using a NK-ZXF sampler. The concentrations of the major water-soluble inorganic ions were analyzed by ion chromatography. A correlation analysis, ratio method, and principal component analysis were used to analyze the sources of RD PM.