Enhancement of wastewater treatment by underwater superelastic fiber-penetrated lamellar monolith.

During the removal of pollutants from wastewater, the underwater compressibility of three-dimensional biomass materials is the main factor determining their properties and service life. To construct a chitosan (CS)-based material with underwater superelasticity, a bidirectional freezing technique was used to introduce bamboo fibers (BFs) as bridges between CS lamellae to form a biomimetic CS/BFs monolith with an architecture similar to Thalia dealbata stems. BFs completely penetrated CS lamellae from the top down, which served as springs to dampen the elastic deformation during compressive cycles.

Crocin-I alleviates the depression-like behaviors probably via modulating "microbiota-gut-brain" axis in mice exposed to chronic restraint stress.

Background: Depressive disorder is rapidly advancing in the worldwide, and therapeutic strategy through "gut-brain" axis has been proved to be effective. Crocin, has been found to have antidepressant activity. However, there is no thorough research for the effects of crocin-I (a major active component of crocin) on depression and its underlying mechanism.

Exposure to low concentration of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid induces the disorders of liver lipid metabolism and gut microbiota in mice.

Trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TFMS) is the shortest chain perfluorinated compound. Recently, it has been identified as a persistent and mobile organic chemical with a maximum concentration of 1 μg/L in the environment. However, its toxicological mechanism remains unclear.

Inhibition of carrageenan-induced dental inflammatory responses owing to decreased TRPV1 activity by Dexmedetomidine.

Background: Dexmedetomidine (Dex) is a highly selective agonist of the α2 adrenergic receptor and a common sedative; however, its anti-inflammatory effect has been studied. In this study, the inhibitory effect of Dex on inflammation in dental pulp cells was assessed. For this, the effect of Dex on inflammation induced by carrageenan (Car) in human dental pulp cells (hDPCs) was evaluated.

Depression-like behaviors are accompanied by disrupted mitochondrial energy metabolism in chronic corticosterone-induced mice.

Stress exerts its negative effects by interference with mitochondrial energy production in rodents, and is able to impair mitochondrial bioenergetics. However, the underlying mechanism that stress hormone impacts depression-like behaviors and mitochondrial energy metabolism is still not well understood. Here, we investigated the changes of depression-like behaviors and mitochondrial energy metabolism induced by chronic corticosterone (CORT).

Artesunate targets oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma via mitochondrial dysfunction-dependent oxidative damage and Akt/AMPK/mTOR inhibition.

Although mitochondrial metabolism has recently gained attention as a promising therapeutic strategy in cancer, little is known on the impact of mitochondrial respiration inhibition on oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC). Using in vitro and in vivo OTSCC models, our work demonstrates that inducing mitochondrial dysfunction by anti-malarial drug artesunate is effective in targeting OTSCC stem-cell like and bulk cells. Artesunate inhibits anchorage-independent colony formation, proliferation and survival in all tested OTSCC cell lines although with varying efficacy.

Nicotinamide mononucleotide ameliorates the depression-like behaviors and is associated with attenuating the disruption of mitochondrial bioenergetics in depressed mice.

Background: Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) has been shown to stimulate oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria and to improve various pathologies in patients and mouse disease models. However, whether NMN mediates mitochondrial energy production and its mechanism of action in depressed animals remain unclear.

Methods: Mice were subcutaneously injected with corticosterone (CORT; 20 mg/kg) each day for 6 weeks, while another group was given an additional dose of NMN (300 mg/kg) by oral gavage in the last 2 weeks.

Antidepressant activity of crocin-I is associated with amelioration of neuroinflammation and attenuates oxidative damage induced by corticosterone in mice.

Depression is the leading cause of mental health-related disease globally, and it affects an estimated 300 million people worldwide. However, its physiological causes are not fully understood. Since available antidepressants fail to achieve complete disease remission, treating diversification of depression may be a useful contribution.

Crocin-I ameliorates the disruption of lipid metabolism and dysbiosis of the gut microbiota induced by chronic corticosterone in mice.

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely used as anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs. However, chronic treatment with GCs in clinical settings has a series of side effects, such as metabolic disorders, gut microbiota dysbiosis and neurological impairment. Therefore, searching for a functional substance that can alleviate these side effects is greatly meaningful to clinical patients.

Exposure to jet lag aggravates depression-like behaviors and age-related phenotypes in rats subject to chronic corticosterone.

Our previous finding demonstrated that chronic corticosterone (CORT) may be involved in mediating the pathophysiology of premature aging in rats. Frequent jet lag increases the risk for many diseases, including obesity and type 2 diabetes, and is associated with the aging processes. However, the effect of jet lag on CORT-induced depression and its association with aging phenotypes remain unclear.

Depression caused by long-term stress regulates premature aging and is possibly associated with disruption of circadian rhythms in mice.

Depression has been associated with circadian disruption and premature aging. Nevertheless, mechanisms underlying the link between long-term stress with premature aging and possible associations with circadian rhythms remain elusive. Here, mice were exposed to chronic mild stress for 16 weeks to induce depression-like symptoms, which were confirmed with the open field test, tail suspension test, and sucrose preference test.

Effect of chronic corticosterone-induced depression on circadian rhythms and age-related phenotypes in mice.

Disrupted circadian rhythms are a recognized effect of depression, and our previous article demonstrated an association between depression and premature aging, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In the present study, we used a mouse model of chronic corticosterone (CORT)-treated depression to elucidate a mechanism by which depression may be associated with the circadian clock and mediate age-related phenotypes. Mice received a daily injection of 20 mg/kg CORT for 21 consecutive days, and the depression-like behaviors of mice were identified by the sucrose intake test, tail suspension test and open field test.

[Determination of thiodiglycolic acid in urine with gas chromatography-mass spectrometer].

Objective: To establish a rapid determination method with gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) for thiodiglycolic acid (TDGA), a vinyl chloride (VCM) biomarker.

Methods: A high- sensitivity determination method was established using a moderate methyl esterification instead of methyl esterification of highly toxic diazo reaction.

Results: The standard curve regression linear equation of the method was: y=8460.

Hypoxia Induced by Upconversion-Based Photodynamic Therapy: Towards Highly Effective Synergistic Bioreductive Therapy in Tumors.

Local hypoxia in tumors is an undesirable consequence of photodynamic therapy (PDT), which will lead to greatly reduced effectiveness of this therapy. Bioreductive pro-drugs that can be activated at low-oxygen conditions will be highly cytotoxic under hypoxia in tumors. Based on this principle, double silica-shelled upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) nanostructure capable of co-delivering photosensitizer (PS) molecules and a bioreductive pro-drug (tirapazamine, TPZ) were designed (TPZ-UC/PS), with which a synergetic tumor therapeutic effect has been achieved first by UC-based (UC-) PDT under normal oxygen environment, immediately followed by the induced cytotoxicity of activated TPZ when oxygen is depleted by UC-PDT.

Radiation-/hypoxia-induced solid tumor metastasis and regrowth inhibited by hypoxia-specific upconversion nanoradiosensitizer.

Tumor resistance to ionizing irradiation and cancer cell's metastasis stimulated by radiation often lead to anti-cancer failure, and can be negatively caused by a key role--cellular hypoxia. In this regard, the exploitation of hypoxia-specific cytotoxic agents which assist to potentiate the anti-tumor effect of radiotherapy (RT) as well as efficiently counteract radiation-/hypoxia-induced cancer cell metastasis, becomes especially important, but has been widely overlooked. Herein, a core/shell-structured multifunctional nanoradiosensitizer with upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP) as an inside core, mesoporous silica as the shell and a cavity in between, has been constructed, in which UCNP core serves as radiation dose amplifiers and bio-reductive pro-drug--tirapazamine (TPZ) loaded in cavity is an hypoxia-selective cytotoxin and the silica shell provides the protection and diffusion path for TPZ.

A smart upconversion-based mesoporous silica nanotheranostic system for synergetic chemo-/radio-/photodynamic therapy and simultaneous MR/UCL imaging.

To achieve the accurate diagnosis and efficient in situ therapy of malignant tumors is encouraging but still remains a big challenge. The integration of upconversion nanoparticles and mesoporous silica that can combine the diagnostic/therapeutic functions within a single platform, may provide a more advanced way for the efficient theranostics of cancer. In this study, sub-80 nm rattle-structured multifunctional Gd-UCNPs core/mesoporous silica shell nanotheranostics (UCMSNs) were successfully constructed for the co-delivery of a radio-/photo-sensitizer hematoporphyrin (HP) and a radiosensitizer/chemodrug docetaxel (Dtxl).

Dual-targeting upconversion nanoprobes across the blood-brain barrier for magnetic resonance/fluorescence imaging of intracranial glioblastoma.

Surgical resection, one of the main clinical treatments of intracranial glioblastoma, bears the potential risk of incomplete excision due to the inherent infiltrative character of the glioblastoma. To maximize the accuracy of surgical resection, the magnetic resonance (MR) and fluorescence imaging are widely used for the tumor preoperative diagnosis and intraoperative positioning. However, present commercial MR contrast agents and fluorescent dyes can only function for single mode of imaging and are subject to poor blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability and nontargeting-specificity, resulting in the apparent risks of inefficient diagnosis and resection of glioblastoma.

A core/satellite multifunctional nanotheranostic for in vivo imaging and tumor eradication by radiation/photothermal synergistic therapy.

To integrate photothermal ablation (PTA) with radiotherapy (RT) for improved cancer therapy, we constructed a novel multifunctional core/satellite nanotheranostic (CSNT) by decorating ultrasmall CuS nanoparticles onto the surface of a silica-coated rare earth upconversion nanoparticle. These CSNTs could not only convert near-infrared light into heat for effective thermal ablation but also induce a highly localized radiation dose boost to trigger substantially enhanced radiation damage both in vitro and in vivo. With the synergistic interaction between PTA and the enhanced RT, the tumor could be eradicated without visible recurrence in 120 days.

Computed tomography imaging-guided radiotherapy by targeting upconversion nanocubes with significant imaging and radiosensitization enhancements.

The clinical potentials of radiotherapy could not be achieved completely because of the inaccurate positioning and inherent radioresistance of tumours. In this study, a novel active-targeting upconversion theranostic agent (arginine-glycine-aspartic acid-labelled BaYbF5: 2% Er(3+) nanocube) was developed for the first time to address these clinical demands. Heavy metal-based nanocubes (~10 nm) are potential theranostic agents with bifunctional features: computed tomography (CT) contrast agents for targeted tumour imaging and irradiation dose enhancers in tumours during radiotherapy.

Rattle-structured multifunctional nanotheranostics for synergetic chemo-/radiotherapy and simultaneous magnetic/luminescent dual-mode imaging.

Most hypoxic tumors are insensitive to radiation, which is a major obstacle in the development of conventional radiotherapy for tumor treatment. Some drugs, such as cisplatin (CDDP), have been extensively used both as an anticancer drug and clinically as a radiosensitizer to enhance radiotherapy. Herein, we develop rattle-structured multifunctional up-conversion core/porous silica shell nanotheranostics (UCSNs) for delivering CDDP to tumors for synergetic chemo-/radiotherapy by CDDP radiosensitization and magnetic/luminescent dual-mode imaging.

[The rervising of biological exposure index for carbon disulfide exposuring].

Objective: To study the biological exposure index of carbon disulfide in China.

Methods: High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to detect the levels of 2-thiothiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (TTCA) in the urine of the workers after working shift end, Gas chromatography was used to detect the concentrations of the carbon disulfide in the workplace air. The relationship between the urine TTCA levels and the concentrations of the carbon disulfide was analyzed, the biological exposure index and judgement result from PC-TWA were compared.

[The optimization of 2-thiothiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid back extraction in urine and determination by HPLC].

Objective: Establishment of determination method of 2-thiothiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (TTCA) in urine with HPLC.

Methods: A volume of 0.5 ml hydrochloric acid (2 mol/L) and 0.

[The improvement of determination method of carbon disulfide in workplace air with gas chromatography].

Objective: Establishment of determination method of carbon disulfide in charcoal tube with low toxicity solvents desorption-gas chromatography.

Methods: Four types of solvent with low toxicity are applied respectively as substitution of benzene to desorb the carbon disulfide in samples of charcoal tube. The signal strength and desorption efficiency of the detector are compared by using different solvents.