Common methods of biological age estimation.

At present, no single indicator could be used as a golden index to estimate aging process. The biological age (BA), which combines several important biomarkers with mathematical modeling, has been proposed for >50 years as an aging estimation method to replace chronological age (CA). The common methods used for BA estimation include the multiple linear regression (MLR), the principal component analysis (PCA), the Hochschild's method, and the Klemera and Doubal's method (KDM).

Catheterization of the gallbladder: A novel mouse model of severe acute cholangitis.

Aim: To establish a severe acute cholangitis (SAC) model in mice.

Methods: Cholecystic catheterization was performed under the condition of bile duct ligation (BDL). Trans-cholecystic injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was defined as the SAC animal model.

Pulse Pressure, Instead of Brachium-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity, is Associated with Reduced Kidney Function in a Chinese Han Population.

Background/aims: In this study, we aim to investigate the association between renal function and arterial stiffness in a Chinese Han population, and further to discuss the effects of smoking on renal function.

Methods: We collected the data of the brachium-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), blood pressure, blood chemistry and smoking status. Then, the multiple linear regression was done to explore the relationship between estimated glomerular filtration (eGFR) and baPWV.

Long noncoding RNA FTX is upregulated in gliomas and promotes proliferation and invasion of glioma cells by negatively regulating miR-342-3p.

Gliomas remain a major public health challenge, posing a high risk for brain tumor-related morbidity and mortality. However, the mechanisms that drive the development of gliomas remain largely unknown. Emerging evidence has shown that long noncoding RNAs are key factors in glioma pathogenesis.

Stereoselective quantification of triticonazole in vegetables by supercritical fluid chromatography.

A highly fast analytical method though supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) has been developed to quantify triticonazole enantiomers in cucumbers and tomatoes. Effects of organic modifier type and concentration on chiral separation and quantification of standard solution as well as matrix-matched standard solutions have been studied in detail. Among three organic modifiers, better separation of triticonazole racemate was achieved with 20% ethanol (v/v).

Construction Formula of Biological Age Using the Principal Component Analysis.

The biological age (BA) equation is a prediction model that utilizes an algorithm to combine various biological markers of ageing. Different from traditional concepts, the BA equation does not emphasize the importance of a golden index but focuses on using indices of vital organs to represent the senescence of whole body. This model has been used to assess the ageing process in a more precise way and may predict possible diseases better as compared with the chronological age (CA).

Rationally Designed 2D Covalent Organic Framework with a Brick-Wall Topology.

We report the design and synthesis of an imine-based two-dimensional covalent organic framework (2D COF) with a novel brick-wall topology by judiciously choosing a tritopic T-shaped building block and a ditopic linear linker. Unlike the main body of COF frameworks reported to-date, which consists of higher-symmetry 2D topologies, the unconventional layered brick-wall topology have only been proposed but never been realized experimentally. The brick-wall structure was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction analysis, FT-IR, solid state C NMR spectroscopy, nitrogen, and carbon oxide adsorption-desorption measurements as well as theoretical simulations.

Triticonazole enantiomers: Separation by supercritical fluid chromatography and the effect of the chromatographic conditions.

Enantiomeric pairs of triticonazole have been successfully separated by supercritical fluid chromatography coupled with a tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamoyl) cellulose-coated chiral stationary phase in this work. The effects of co-solvent, dissolution solvent, flow rate, backpressure, and column temperature have been studied in detail with respect to retention, selectivity, and resolution of triticonazole. As indicated, the co-solvents mostly affected the retention factors and resolution, due to the different molecular structure and polarity.

Analysis of metalaxyl racemate using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with four kinds of detectors.

Chiral stationary phase-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with various detectors has been one of most commonly used methods for analysis and separation of chiral compounds over the past decades. Various detectors exhibit different characteristics in qualitative and quantitative studies under different chromatographic conditions. Herein, a comparative evaluation of HPLC coupled with ultraviolet, optical rotation, refractive index, and evaporative light scattering detectors has been conducted for qualitative and quantitative analyses of metalaxyl racemate.

[Enantioseparation behavior of chiral stationary phases AD, AS and OD].

Over the past decades, HPLC enantioseparation with chiral stationary phases (CSPs) has been widely applied in chiral analysis and preparation of new pharmaceuticals, pesticides, food, etc. Herein, enantioseparation of 20 chiral compounds have been carried out on three polysaccharide-based CSPs (EnantioPak AD, AS and OD) with normal phases by HPLC, separately. The influences of skeletal structure and the kinds of derivative groups on separation behaviors of these CSPs have been studied in detail.

[Enantioseparation of metalaxyl racemate by simulated moving bed chromatography].

Due to some advantages such as high precision, high efficiency and low consumption of organic solvents, chromatographic separation technique by simulated moving bed (SMB) has attracted considerable attention in the past decades. Herein, the enantioseparation of metalaxyl racemate on EnantioPak OD columns has been carried out by SMB chromatography with the mixture of hexane-ethanol (70 :30, v/v). The elution order of two metalaxyl enantiomers under current chromatographic conditions was determined by HPLC with the optical rotation detector.

Septin 2 accelerates the progression of biliary tract cancer and is negatively regulated by mir-140-5p.

Aberrant expression of septin family members (SEPTs) has been noticed in various carcinomas; however, few studies have been conducted to determine their function in biliary tract cancer (BTC). In this study, we identified SEPT2 as a tumor-promoting gene that is regulated by miR-140-5p in BTC. Although miR-140-5p has been reported to be an anti-oncomiR for several types of cancer, this has not previously been shown for BTC.

Ultrasonic measurement of facial tissue depth in a Northern Chinese Han population.

In forensic anthropology, facial soft tissue depth measurement is crucial for craniofacial reconstruction technology, which is based on the morphological features of human faces to rebuild appearances of decedents, helps forensic scientists to identify the nameless bone. We measured the facial tissue depth of 135 young subjects from northern China whereby revealing the relationship among tissue depth, sex and BMI as well as providing data for craniofacial reconstruction in forensic science. All the volunteers are healthy medical students including 64 males and 71 females.

Effects and Mechanism of Action of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase on Apoptosis in a Rat Model of Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is a key enzyme in regulating nitric oxide (NO) synthesis under stress, and NO has varying ability to regulate apoptosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects and possible mechanism of action of iNOS on neuronal apoptosis in a rat model of cerebral focal ischemia and reperfusion injury in rats treated with S-methylisothiourea sulfate (SMT), a high-selective inhibitor of iNOS. Seventy-two male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into three groups: the sham, middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) + vehicle, and MCAO + SMT groups.

Molecular hydrogen attenuates hypoxia/reoxygenation injury of intrahepatic cholangiocytes by activating Nrf2 expression.

Hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury of cholangiocytes causes serious biliary complications during hepatobiliary surgeries. Molecular hydrogen (H2) has been shown to be effective in protecting various cells and organs against oxidative stress injury. Human liver cholangiocytes were used to determine the potential protective effects of hydrogen against cholangiocyte H/R injury and explore the underlying mechanisms.

Chronic lithium treatment diminishes the female advantage in lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster.

Two studies have concluded that lithium exposure extends the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans. However, the effect of lithium on another widely used model organism, Drosophila melanogaster, remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that chronic treatment with a low to moderate dose of lithium chloride does not extend lifespan in D.

miR-577 inhibits glioblastoma tumor growth via the Wnt signaling pathway.

microRNAs (miRNAs) are commonly altered in glioblastoma. Publicly available algorithms suggest the Wnt pathway is a potential target of miR-577 and the Wnt pathway is commonly altered in glioblastoma. Glioblastoma has not been previously evaluated for miR-577 expression.

NFATc1 activation promotes the invasion of U251 human glioblastoma multiforme cells through COX-2.

Recent studies have revealed that the nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) is a transcription factor that is highly expressed in aggressive cancer cells and tissues, and mediates invasion through the transcriptional induction of pro-invasion and pro-migration genes. However, the mechanisms through which nuclear factor of activated T-cells, cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1), in particular, translocates to the nucleus and regulates the invasion of human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells have not yet been fully elucidated. In the present study, to investigate the role of NFATc1 in GBM cells, we established a U251 cell line expressing a constitutively active form of NFATc1 (CA-NFATc1).

The Organic Flatland-Recent Advances in Synthetic 2D Organic Layers.

Ultrathin, 2D organic layers of sub-ten nanometer thicknesses and high aspect ratios have received a great deal of attention for their graphene-like topological features and emerging properties. Rational synthetic strategies have led to the realization of periodic 2D layers with unprecedented structural precision. Herein, recent progress on the synthesis of 2D organic layers, including methods based on both non-covalent and covalent interactions, is summarized, and potential applications are highlighted.

Impact of autophagy inhibition at different stages on cytotoxic effect of autophagy inducer in glioblastoma cells.

Background/aims: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant primary brain tumor with a poor prognosis. Combination treatment of autophagy inducer and autophagy inhibitor may be a feasible solution to improve the therapeutic effects. However, the correlation between them is unclear.

MiR-212-3p inhibits glioblastoma cell proliferation by targeting SGK3.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant brain tumor in humans. Previous studies have demonstrated that microRNA plays important roles in the development and proliferation of GBM cells. Here we defined the mechanism by which miR-212-3p regulated the proliferation of GBM.

Lactulose accelerates liver regeneration in rats by inducing hydrogen.

Background: Oxidative stress and inflammation are implicated in the process of liver regeneration. Lactulose orally administered can be bacterially fermented and induces dramatic amounts of endogenous hydrogen. Hydrogen has been confirmed to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

A correlation study of telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes and kidney function with age.

The current study aimed to investigate the association between telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes and kidney function in various age groups of a healthy population. A total of 139 healthy individuals were divided into five groups according to their age: 35‑44, 45‑54, 55‑64, 65‑74 and >75 years old. Peripheral blood leukocytes were obtained and the telomere restriction fragment (TRF) length was assayed using a digoxigenin‑labeled hybridization probe in Southern blot assays.

Expression profile analysis of microRNAs in prostate cancer by next-generation sequencing.

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of tumor mortality among males in western societies. In China, the diagnostic and fatality rate of PCa is increasing yearly.

Methods: To characterize underlying molecular mechanisms, the microRNA (miRNA) profile of high-grade PCa, low-grade PCa, and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) were compared using high-throughput Illumina sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) methods.