Attitude and willingness of biodiversity conservation in Chinese university students: Associated factors and the mediation of social support.

In this cross-sectional study of 1475 Chinese university students, we explored associated factors of attitude and willingness of biodiversity conservation, analyzed the hypothesized mediation by social support in the association between attitude and willingness of biodiversity conservation. Multivariate logistic regression model revealed that major and social support were prominently related to both attitude and willingness of biodiversity conservation. Besides, path model identified a statistically significant mediation by social support, sex, race, and family residence presented noticeable effect modification on the mediation of social support.

Maternal inappropriate calcium intake aggravates dietary-induced obesity in male offspring by affecting the differentiation potential of mesenchymal stem cells.

Background: The effects of inappropriate dietary calcium intake in early life on later obesity have not been fully elucidated.

Aim: To raise the mechanism of maternal calcium intake on the multi-differentiation potential of mesenchymal stem cells among their male offspring.

Methods: Four-week-old female C57BL/6N mice were fed by deficient, low, normal and excessive calcium reproductive diets throughout pregnancy and lactation.

[Chicken-claw needling at Xiaguan (ST 7) combined with intradermal needling on negative emotions in primary trigeminal neuralgia of phlegm obstruction and blood stasis: a randomized controlled trial].

Objective: To observe the clinical effect of chicken-claw needling at Xiaguan (ST 7) combined with intradermal needling on negative emotion in primary trigeminal neuralgia (PTN) of phlegm obstruction and blood stasis.

Methods: Sixty cases of patients with PTN of phlegm obstruction and blood stasis were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each group. The observation group was treated with chicken-claw needling at Xiaguan (ST 7) combined with intradermal needling (acupoints Sibai [ST 2], Yuyao [EX-HN 4], Hegu [LI 4], Taichong [LR 3] and auricular points Xin [CO], Shenmen [TF], Pizhixia [AT], etc.

3,5,4'-Trimethoxy-trans-stilbene loaded microemulsion for cutaneous melanoma therapy by transdermal drug delivery.

For therapy of skin cancer, transdermal administration has been a potential way to enhance chemotherapy. However, the drug delivery efficacy remained unsatisfactory because of the physiological barriers from the skin to the tumor, which hindered the effect of 3,5,4'-trimethoxy-trans-stilbene (BTM), a drug that has toxicity to cancer. Herein, we prepared an oil-in-water (O/W) microemulsion to load BTM (BTM-ME) for transdermal therapy of melanoma.

Micelles Loaded With Puerarin And Modified With Triphenylphosphonium Cation Possess Mitochondrial Targeting And Demonstrate Enhanced Protective Effect Against Isoprenaline-Induced H9c2 Cells Apoptosis.

Background: The protective role of puerarin (PUE) against myocardial infarction is closely related to its regulation on mitochondria. However, free PUE can hardly reach the mitochondria of ischemic cardiomyocytes due to the lack of mitochondrial targeting of PUE. Here PUE was loaded into mitochondria-targeted micelles (PUE@TPP/PEG-PE) for precisely delivering PUE into mitochondria with the aim of enhancing the anti-apoptosis effect.

3,5,4'-trimethoxy-trans-stilbene loaded PEG-PE micelles for the treatment of colon cancer.

Background: 3,5,4'-trimethoxy-trans-stilbene (BTM) is a methylated derivative of resveratrol. To improve the pharmaceutical properties of BTM, BTM loaded PEG-PE micelles (BTM@PEG-PE) were fabricated and its anti-cancer efficacy against colon cancer was evaluated.

Methods: BTM@PEG-PE micelles were prepared by the solvent evaporation method and were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), size, zeta potential, polymer disperse index (PDI) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Phospholipid complex based nanoemulsion system for oral insulin delivery: preparation, in vitro, and in vivo evaluations.

The aim of this research was to develop a phospholipid complex based nanoemulsion system for oral insulin delivery. Insulin-phospholipid complex (IPC) was firstly prepared by an anhydrous co-solvent lyophilization method, and then encapsulated into the oil phase of nanoemulsion to obtain the IPC-based nanoemulsion (IPC-NE). Both water-in-oil (W/O) IPC-NE and oil-in-water (O/W) IPC-NE were formulated and evaluated for comparison.

Microemulsions vs chitosan derivative-coated microemulsions for dermal delivery of 8-methoxypsoralen.

Background: 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) is one of the most commonly utilized drugs in psoralen-ultraviolet A therapy for treatment of vitiligo. However, poor skin retention and systemic side effects limit the clinical application of 8-MOP.

Methods: Microemulsions (MEs) and chitosan derivative-coated 8-MOP MEs were developed and compared for dermal delivery of 8-MOP.

Topical delivery of 3,5,4'-trimethoxy-trans-stilbene-loaded microemulsion-based hydrogel for the treatment of osteoarthritis in a rabbit model.

The aim of this study was to develop a microemulsion-based hydrogel (MBH) formulation of 3,5,4'-trimethoxy-trans-stilbene (BTM) as topical delivery system for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). The pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were constructed to optimize the microemulsion (ME) formulation. The ME formulation containing 18.

Borneol and Α-asarone as adjuvant agents for improving blood-brain barrier permeability of puerarin and tetramethylpyrazine by activating adenosine receptors.

Puerarin (PUE) and tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) are central nervous system (CNS) drugs used in cerebrovascular diseases. Poor brain-blood barrier (BBB) permeability limited their clinical application. Borneol and α-asarone have been proposed as an oral brain-targeting enhancer.

Nanoemulsion-based delivery system for enhanced oral bioavailability and caco-2 cell monolayers permeability of berberine hydrochloride.

Berberine hydrochloride (BBH) has a variety of pharmacological activities such as antitumor, antimicrobial, anti-inflammation, and reduce irritable bowel syndrome. However, poor stability and low oral bioavailability limited its usage. Herein, an oil-in-water nanoemulsion system of BBH was developed to improve its stability and oral bioavailability.

The Lyme Disease Pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi Infects Murine Bone and Induces Trabecular Bone Loss.

Lyme disease is caused by members of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species complex. Arthritis is a well-known late-stage pathology of Lyme disease, but the effects of B. burgdorferi infection on bone at sites other than articular surfaces are largely unknown.

Infection with the Lyme disease pathogen suppresses innate immunity in mice with diet-induced obesity.

Obesity is a major global public health concern. Immune responses implicated in obesity also control certain infections. We investigated the effects of high-fat diet-induced obesity (DIO) on infection with the Lyme disease bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi in mice.

Biomechanics of Borrelia burgdorferi Vascular Interactions.

Systemic dissemination of microbes is critical for progression of many infectious diseases and is associated with most mortality due to bacterial infection. The physical mechanisms mediating a key dissemination step, bacterial association with vascular endothelia in blood vessels, remain unknown. Here, we show that endothelial interactions of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi under physiological shear stress mechanistically resemble selectin-dependent leukocyte rolling.

Hyperglycemia Impairs Neutrophil-Mediated Bacterial Clearance in Mice Infected with the Lyme Disease Pathogen.

Insulin-insufficient type 1 diabetes is associated with attenuated bactericidal function of neutrophils, which are key mediators of innate immune responses to microbes as well as pathological inflammatory processes. Neutrophils are central to immune responses to the Lyme pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi. The effect of hyperglycemia on host susceptibility to and outcomes of B.

[Tissue distribution of PEGylated puerarin in acute myocardial ischemia mode rats].

The aim of this study is to explore the tissue distribution of PEGylated puerarin in acute myocardial ischemia model rats. Healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into two groups (30 each). Both were given PEGylated puerarin at a dose of 488 mg x kg(-1).

Mechanisms of microemulsion enhancing the oral bioavailability of puerarin: comparison between oil-in-water and water-in-oil microemulsions using the single-pass intestinal perfusion method and a chylomicron flow blocking approach.

The purpose of the present work was to determine the mechanisms by which microemulsions (MEs) enhance the oral bioavailability of puerarin. The in situ perfusion method was used in rats to study the absorption mechanisms of an oil-in-water (O/W) microemulsion (O/W-ME) and a water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsion (W/O-ME). The possibility of lymphatic transport of the MEs was investigated using a chylomicron flow blocking approach.

Anti-proliferative effects of the novel squamosamide derivative (FLZ) on HepG2 human hepatoma cells by regulating the cell cycle-related proteins are associated with decreased Ca(2+)/ROS levels.

FLZ is a synthetic novel squamosamide derivative and has previously been proved to be a potential drug for Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. FLZ has strong antioxidant activity, which implies that FLZ could eliminate excessive intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in tumor cells and induce a pathway related to low cellular ROS levels, thereby inhibiting tumor cells proliferation. However, few reports have focused on the antitumor effects of FLZ.

[Comparison of conductivity-water content curve and visual methods for ascertaintation of the critical water content of O/W microemulsions formation].

This study is to screen 23 blank O/W type microemulsion (ME) samples, that is 15 samples from our laboratory, and 8 samples from literature; compare the conductivity-water content curve (CWCC) method and visual method in determining the critical water content during O/W type MEs' formation, to analyze the deficiency and the feasibility of visual method and to exploxe scientific meanings of CWCC method in judging the critical water content of O/W type MEs during formation. The results show that there is a significant difference between the theoretical feasible CWCC method and visual method in determining the critical water content (P<0.001), and the results judged by conductivity is higher than that by eye-based water content.

[A dynamic observation on serum cytokine and immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA, IgM) in patients with esophageal cancer].

Objective: To study the changes of serum interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-8 (IL-8) and immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA, IgM) in patients with esophageal cancer, and to probe the relationship between the levels of IL-2, IL-8, IgG, IgA and IgM and the progress of cancer.

Methods: The serum levels of IL-2 and IL-8 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for 72 case of primary esophageal cancer, 68 advanced esophageal cancer and 120 healthy controls, and the level of immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA, IgM) in patients with esophageal cancer was dynamically observed.

Results: The IL-2 level in patients with early esophageal cancer [(1.