Lactucin and lactucopicrin ameliorate obesity in high-fat diet fed mice by promoting white adipose tissue browning through the activation of the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway.

Lactucin and lactucopicrin are the characteristic lipid-lowering active components found in Cichorium glandulosum. However, their effects and underlying mechanisms in obesity remain unclear. In the present study, C57BL/6J mice were simultaneously subjected to a high-fat diet (HFD) and treated with drugs to investigate the impacts of lactucin and lactucopicrin on HFD-induced obese mice.

Ethyl Acetate Extract of Activates the P21/Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway to Alleviate Oxidative Stress in a Mouse Model of Alcoholic Liver Disease.

Background: Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a significant global health concern, primarily resulting from chronic alcohol consumption, with oxidative stress as a key driver. The ethyl acetate extract of (CGE) exhibits antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties, but its detailed mechanism of action against ALD remains unclear. This study investigates the effects and mechanisms of CGE in alleviating alcohol-induced oxidative stress and liver injury.

Neutralizing antibody against GDF15 for treatment of cancer-associated cachexia.

GDF15 (growth differentiation factor 15), also known as macrophage inhibitory cytokine 1 (MIC-1), is a circulating protein involved in the regulation of energy balance and weight control. Elevated levels of GDF15 have been associated with cachexia and reduced survival rates in cancer patients. Through the activation of the GFRAL (GDNF-family receptor α-like)-RET (Rearranged during Transfection) signaling pathway, GDF15 can induce weight loss, making it a potential target for treating cachexia.

Lactucopicrin promotes fatty acid β-oxidation and attenuates lipid accumulation through adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase activation in free fatty acid-induced human hepatoblastoma cancer cells.

With its annually increasing prevalence, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a serious threat to people's life and health. After a preliminary research, we found that Lactucopicrin has pharmacological effects, such as lowering blood lipids and protecting the liver. Further research showed its significant activation for fatty acid β-oxidase hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A (CoA) dehydrogenase trifunctional multienzyme complex subunit alpha (HADHA), so we hypothesized that Lactucopicrin could ameliorate lipid accumulation in hepatocytes by promoting fatty acid β-oxidation.

Differences in the flavonoid composition of the leaves, fruits, and branches of mulberry are distinguished based on a plant metabolomics approach.

Mulberry is a common crop rich in flavonoids, and its leaves (ML), fruits (M), and branches (Ramulus Mori, RM) have medicinal value. In the present study, a total of 118 flavonoid metabolites (47 flavone, 23 flavonol, 16 flavonoid, 8 anthocyanins, 8 isoflavone, 14 flavanone, and 2 proanthocyanidins) and 12 polyphenols were identified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. The most abundant in ML were 8--hexosyl-hesperetin -hexoside and astragalin, the most abundant in M were 8--hexosyl-hesperetin -hexoside and naringenin, and the most abundant in RM were cyanidin 3--galactoside and gallocatechin-gallocatechin.

Ameliorates HFD-Induced Obesity in Mice by Modulating Gut Microbiota and Bile Acids.

Obesity is an ongoing global health problem, and (CG, chicory) is traditionally used as a hepatoprotective and lipid-lowering drug. However, there is still a lack of research on the role of CG in the treatment of obesity. In the present study, we found that CG significantly delayed weight gain and positively affected glucolipid metabolism disorders, serum metabolism levels, and the degree of liver and kidney oxidative stress in high-fat diet (HFD) mice.

Dual Enhancement of Phosphorescence and Circularly Polarized Luminescence through Entropically Driven Self-Assembly of a Platinum(II) Complex.

Addressing the dual enhancement of circular polarization (g) and luminescence quantum yield (QY) in circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) systems poses a significant challenge. In this study, we present an innovative strategy utilizing the entropically driven self-assembly of amphiphilic phosphorescent platinum(II) complexes (L-Pt) with tetraethylene glycol chains, resulting in unique temperature dependencies. The entropically driven self-assembly of L-Pt leads to a synergistic improvement in phosphorescence emission efficiency (QY was amplified from 15 % at 25 °C to 53 % at 60 °C) and chirality, both in the ground state and the excited state (g value has been magnified from 0.

Effect of on intestinal microbiota and bile acid metabolism in db/db mice.

This study aims to investigate the effects of Boiss. et Huet (CG) on the intestinal microbiota and serum bile acid (BA) in db/db mice. A total of 12 db/db mice were randomly divided into model (MOD), high-dose CG (CGH), and control (CON) groups.

Maternal postnatal confinement practices and postpartum depression in Chinese populations: A systematic review.

Background: The postpartum period is critical for maternal health status after childbirth. The traditional Chinese postpartum confinement practice, "doing-the-month", is considered especially effective in helping mothers recover during the postpartum period. However, research has not provided evidence to confirm its benefits.

Precursor Engineering of Lead Acetate-Based Precursors for High-Open-Circuit Voltage Wide-Bandgap Perovskite Solar Cells.

Wide-bandgap (WBG) perovskites have great potential for inclusion in efficient tandem solar cells, but large open-circuit voltage losses have limited device performance to date. Here, we show that a high-quality WBG perovskite, FACsPb(IBr), with enlarged grain sizes and improved crystallinity can be achieved by incorporating lead chloride (PbCl) into a lead acetate (PbAc)-based precursor. The improved film quality resulted in the suppression of nonradiative recombination and a reduction in defect density.

Glycoursodeoxycholic acid regulates bile acids level and alters gut microbiota and glycolipid metabolism to attenuate diabetes.

Accumulating evidence suggests that the bile acid regulates type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) through gut microbiota-host interactions. However, the mechanisms underlying such interactions have been unclear. Here, we found that glycoursodeoxycholic acid (GUDCA) positively regulates gut microbiota by altering bile acid metabolism.

High-Performance and Stable Semi-Transparent Perovskite Solar Cells through Composition Engineering.

Semi-transparent perovskite solar cells (ST-PeSCs) have tremendous potential as solar windows owing to their higher efficiency and visible transmittance. However, studies toward this application are still nascent, particularly in unraveling the interplay between how the perovskite composition impacts the achievable device performance and stability. Here, the role of A- and X-site modification in APbX perovskites is studied to understand their influence on these factors.

Adjuvant Radiation Therapy Compared with Observation Alone for Postoperative Residual Nonfunctional Pituitary Adenomas.

Objective: The management of residual nonfunctional pituitary tumors after surgical resection remains controversial. In this study, we compared the prognosis of postoperative radiation therapy and observation only in patients with residual nonfunctional pituitary adenoma and reviewed the long-term complications after radiation therapy.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 90 patients who underwent surgery for nonfunctional pituitary adenomas from January 2008 to April 2012.

Luminescent Helical Nanofiber Self-Assembled from a Cholesterol-Based Metalloamphiphile and Its Application in DNA Conformation Recognition.

Compared to pure organic amphiphiles, metalloamphiphiles display distinctive features, including luminescence, magnetism and catalytic properties. However, the self-organization of metalloamphiphiles is commonly driven by solvophobic effects. Alkyl chains and oligomeric ethylene glycol moieties are thus the most frequently used aggregation units to drive the self-assembly of metalloamphiphiles.

Ferrocene-containing thixotropic molecular gels: creation and a novel strategy for water purification.

Low-molecular-mass gelators and relevant molecular gels have been employed for water purification owing to their convenience and efficiency, but the process is time consuming due to low extraction efficiency originated from limited contact of the two phases. In this work, two novel di-cholesterol-based gelators, 1 and 2, with a ferrocenyl unit were synthesized and the gels based on 2 possess a smart thixotropic property. In particular, 2/heptane gel, the shear force induced phase transition is fast (within seconds) and fully reversible without the need of heating-cooling cycle.

Luminescent vesicular nanointerface: a highly selective and sensitive "turn-on" sensor for guanosine triphosphate.

A novel amphiphilic Tb(3+) complex (TbL(3+)(I)) consisting of a +3 charged head and a hydrophobic alkyl chain has been developed. It spontaneously self-assembles in water and forms stable vesicles at neutral pH. TbL(3+)(I) has no aromatic groups (functioning as an antenna), and its intrinsic luminescence is thus minimized.

Preparation and functions of hybrid membranes with rings of Ag NPs anchored at the edges of highly ordered honeycomb-patterned pores.

We report a new, simple strategy to apply honeycomb films for the patterning of colloidal particles. By combination of a "bottom-up" breath figure method and the electrochemical properties of the honeycomb films of ferrocenyl-based oligomers, highly ordered hybrid membranes coated with ring-like patterning of 0D- and 1D-Ag nanoparticles (NPs) have been fabricated. One interesting phenomenon is that the nucleation and adsorption of Ag dots occurred preferentially at the edges of the micropores.

Novel dimeric cholesteryl derivatives and their smart thixotropic gels.

Three novel LS(2)-type dimeric-cholesteryl derivatives (1-3), where S is a steroidal residue and L stands for a linker connecting the two S residues and contains three benzene rings and two amide and two carbamate groups, were designed and prepared. The compounds can gel a wide variety of organic solvents via three different ways, including mixing at room temperature, a heating-cooling cycle, and ultrasound treatment. SEM measurements revealed that the structures and the concentrations of the gelators, the nature of the solvent, and the preparation method employed have a great effect on the morphologies of the gel networks.

Dimensional architecture of ferrocenyl-based oligomer honeycomb-patterned films: from monolayer to multilayer.

We report a fabrication of highly ordered honeycomb-patterned films by the breath figure method from ferrocenyl-based oligomer with ferrocene units in the main chain and hydrophobic cholesteryl groups as side chains and investigate their dimensionality nature, i.e., the array of pores varying from monolayer to multilayer structure.

Tunable morphology of 2D honeycomb-patterned films and the hydrophobicity of a ferrocenyl-based oligomer.

Honeycomb-patterned polymer films with tunable pore size and regularity of ordered two- or three-dimensional hexagonal arrays have met with widespread interest in recent years in different areas, for instance as separation and superhydrophobic materials. Herein, 2D honeycomb-patterned films of amphiphilic ferrocenyl-based oligomer with cholesterol as side chains were prepared by the breath-figure method on solid surfaces and their surface-wetting behavior were tested. These films can be simply prepared by spreading a mixture of polymer and organic solvents on a solid surface under moist airflow and at an air/water interface without any extra moist airflow.

Oligo(FcDC-co-CholDEA) with ferrocene in the main chain and cholesterol as a pendant group-preparation and unusual properties.

With ever-increasing need for thin, flexible, and functional materials in electrochemical systems, various techniques have been explored for creating materials used in fuel cells, batteries, electrochromic devices, solar cells, and sensors. In the present study, a novel ferrocene (Fc) and cholesterol (Chol)-containing oligomer, oligo(FcDC-co-CholDEA), was specially designed and prepared by putting Fc in the main chain and Chol as a side group. MALDI-TOF MS and freezing point depression measurements revealed that in average each oligomer contains three Fc units and three Chol units.

A novel low-molecular-mass gelator with a redox active ferrocenyl group: tuning gel formation by oxidation.

A novel low-molecular-mass gelator containing a redox-active ferrocenyl group, cholesteryl glycinate ferrocenoylamide (CGF), was intentionally designed and prepared. It was demonstrated that the gelator gels 13 out of the 45 solvents tested. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements revealed that the gelator self-assembled into different supramolecular network structures in different gels.