Microencapsulated β-carotene preparation using different drying treatments.

β-Carotene is one of the most abundant natural pigments in foods; however, usage of β-carotene is limited because of its instability. Microencapsulation techniques are usually applied to protect microencapsulated β-carotene from oxidization. In this study, β-carotene was microencapsulated using different drying processes: spray-drying, spray freeze-drying, coating, and spray granulation.

Effects of 24 CYP2D6 variants found in Chinese population on the metabolism of clonidine in vitro.

Background And Objectives: Clonidine has been clinically used to treat Tourette's syndrome for decades. There was research finding that clonidine possessed the best risk-benefit ratio, especially for patients associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. CYP2D6 is a significant member of Cytochrome P450 enzymes.

High level of lncRNA H19 expression is associated with shorter survival in esophageal squamous cell cancer patients.

Aim: Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is currently considered to play an important regulatory role in various diseases, including tumors, at present a hot topic in research. As a non-coding transcription product of imprinted gene, LncRNA H19 is expressed as a parent imprinted maternal allele without protein-coding ability. Increasing evidence indicates that LncH19 may be a new tumor marker for early clinical diagnosis and prognosis judgment.

Integrated mRNA, MicroRNA Transcriptome and Degradome Analyses Provide Insights into Stamen Development in Moso Bamboo.

A flower is an essential organ for sexual reproduction in flowering plants, which has been extensively studied in model plants. In this study, we used transcriptomic, small RNA and degradome analyses to characterize key microRNAs (miRNAs) and their targets in floral organs of moso bamboo. In total, we identified 13,051 differentially expressed genes and 109 known miRNAs from 26 miRNA families.

Trastuzumab-Coated Nanoparticles Loaded With Docetaxel for Breast Cancer Therapy.

Docetaxel (DTX) is commonly used for breast cancer treatment. Tween 80 used for DTX dissolution in its clinical formulation causes severe hypersensitivity and other adverse reactions. In this study, trastuzumab (Tmab)-coated lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (PLNs) were prepared, composed of poly (d, l-lactide--glycolide), PLGA; polyethylenimine (PEI); and lipids.

Endophilin A2 regulates calcium-activated chloride channel activity via selective autophagy-mediated TMEM16A degradation.

TMEM16A Ca-activated chloride channel (CaCC) plays an essential role in vascular homeostasis. In this study we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying downregulation of TMEM16A CaCC activity during hypertension. In cultured basilar artery smooth muscle cells (BASMCs) isolated from 2k2c renohypertesive rats, treatment with angiotensin II (0.

Comparison of the French and CARDS classifications for lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis: reliability and validity.

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the reliability and validity of the CARDS and French classification systems for lumbar DS.

Methods: Between May 2013 and December 2016, 158 consecutive patients diagnosed with single-level lumbar DS were included in this study, and all underwent lumbar fusion. All patients underwent long-cassette standing anterioposterior and lateral radiographs of the spine preoperatively and postoperatively.

Elucidating the Reprograming of Colorectal Cancer Metabolism Using Genome-Scale Metabolic Modeling.

Colorectal cancer is the third most incidental cancer worldwide, and the response rate of current treatment for colorectal cancer is very low. Genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) are systems biology platforms, and they had been used to assist researchers in understanding the metabolic alterations in different types of cancer. Here, we reconstructed a generic colorectal cancer GEM by merging 374 personalized GEMs from the Human Pathology Atlas and used it as a platform for systematic investigation of the difference between tumor and normal samples.

Lipid Distribution Pattern and Transcriptomic Insights Revealed the Potential Mechanism of Docosahexaenoic Acid Traffics in sp. A-2.

sp. A-2 is a heterotrophic marine fungus used for the commercial production of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). However, the pattern of the distribution of DHA and how DHA is channeled into phospholipid (PL) and triacylglycerol (TAG) are unknown.

Homocysteine: A modifiable culprit of cognitive impairment for us to conquer?

Background: Cognitive impairment, including mild cognitive impairment and its progressive deterioration to dementia, results in great hazards to the patient and the surrounding society. While some of the risk factors are unmodifiable, such as age, lower educational attainment, and genetic factors, another proposed one-homocysteine, an amino acid produced in the methylation cycle of protein metabolism is modifiable by cheap and easily accessible B-vitamins treatments in medical practice.

Objective And Methods: To investigate the relationship between homocysteine and cognitive impairment, elucidate the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and exploit any potential therapeutic values of homocysteine-lowering treatments in prevention and/or treatment in cognitive decline, we searched on the PUBMED databases surrounding around the physiological homocysteine metabolism, detrimental effects of abnormal homocysteine concentrations on the brain, and review observational and interventional experiments to date estimating the relationship between homocysteine and cognitive impairment with relatively powerful evidence.

A Qualitative Transcriptional Signature for Predicting Recurrence Risk of Stage I-III Bladder Cancer Patients After Surgical Resection.

Previously reported transcriptional signatures for predicting the prognosis of stage I-III bladder cancer (BLCA) patients after surgical resection are commonly based on risk scores summarized from quantitative measurements of gene expression levels, which are highly sensitive to the measurement variation and sample quality and thus hardly applicable under clinical settings. It is necessary to develop a signature which can robustly predict recurrence risk of BLCA patients after surgical resection. The signature is developed based on the within-sample relative expression orderings (REOs) of genes, which are qualitative transcriptional characteristics of the samples.

Magnetic solid-phase extraction of tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines using magnetic graphene composite as sorbent.

Tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines are carcinogenic components in mainstream cigarette smoke. To explore tobacco-specific N-nitrosamine release levels in cigarettes, a magnetic solid-phase extraction procedure using magnetic graphene composite as sorbent for fast enrichment of tobacco-specific N-nitrosamine was developed. Under optimal conditions, a tobacco-specific N-nitrosamine determination method was successfully proposed by combining magnetic solid-phase extraction procedure and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry.

Predictors of L4-L5 Degenerative Lumbar Spondylolisthesis: L4 Inclination Angle and Facet Joint Angle.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS) and the L4 inclination angle (IA) and evaluate the risk factors of DLS.

Methods: Ninety patients with L4-L5 DLS and 90 with L4-L5 lumbar disc herniation or spinal stenosis (control group) were compared. Parameters including L4 IA, facet joint angle (FJA), cross-sectional area of paraspinal muscle, Pfirrmann grading of intervertebral disc, and degeneration grading of facet joint (FJ) were evaluated.

Complications in Elderly Patients Undergoing Lumbar Arthrodesis for Spinal Stenosis.

Purpose: To report the perioperative complication rates in elderly patients undergoing lumbar arthrodesis and to analyze the risk factors.

Methods: Between September 2015 and June 2018, 215 patients aged ≥70 underwent posterior lumbar arthrodesis with pedicle screw fixation. Demographic data including age, gender, smoking status, body mass index (BMI) and preoperative comorbidities were collected.

An ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of obeticholic acid in rat plasma and its application in preclinical pharmacokinetic studies.

Unlabelled: Currently, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is the only clear medical treatment for primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). However, approximately 40% of patients are not sensitive to UDCA. In recent years, obeticholic acid (OCA) combined with UDCA has been used in the PBC patients who were not sensitive to UDCA, or as monotherapy for PBC adult patients who are intolerant to UDCA.

Delivery of siRNA using folate receptor-targeted pH-sensitive polymeric nanoparticles for rheumatoid arthritis therapy.

Systemic delivery of siRNA to target tissues is difficult to achieve owing to its limited cellular uptake and poor serum stability. Herein, polymeric nanoparticles were developed for systemic administration of siRNA to inflamed tissues. The polymeric nanoparticles were composed of PK3 as a pH-sensitive polymer, folate-polyethyleneglycol-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) as a targeting ligand, and a DOTAP/siRNA core.

Catalytic depolymerization of lignin over cesium exchanged and transition-metal substituted heterogeneous polyoxometalates.

It is of great importance to develop new pathways for low-cost, high-selectivity conversion of lignin into aromatics. In this work, a series of cesium exchanged and transition-metal substituted heterogeneous polyoxometalates were prepared and applied as efficient catalysts for lignin depolymerization. The catalytic oxidation of lignin has been monitored by GPC, 2D NMR HSQC, and GC/MS technologies, and the reaction pathway was also confirmed by the examination with a dimeric β-O-4 lignin model compound.

Lotus- and Mussel-Inspired PDA-PET/PTFE Janus Membrane: Toward Integrated Separation of Light and Heavy Oils from Water.

Current special wetting materials designed for use with oily wastewater are usually classified as either the oil-removing type or the water-removing type, which are unifunctional and limited by the oil density. Inspired by the integrated Janus system of the lotus leaf as well as the mussel-like mollusks adhered to the lotus, we fabricated a Janus polydopamine (PDA)-polyethylene terephthalate/polytetrafluoroethylene (PET/PTFE) membrane by simple immersion and tape-peeling. This membrane shows a lotuslike Janus wettability, self-cleaning effect, and floating property.

High hydrostatic pressure induces apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells via regulation of the NGF signalling pathway.

High pressure is the most important factor inducing retinal ganglion cell (RGC) apoptosis. However, the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. The present study investigated the effects of different levels of hydrostatic pressure (HP) on RGCs and the potential mechanisms involved.

Dynamic Compressive Behaviors of Two-Layer Graded Aluminum Foams under Blast Loading.

Experimental and numerical analyses were carried out to reveal the behaviors of two-layer graded aluminum foam materials for their dynamic compaction under blast loading. Blast experiments were conducted to investigate the deformation and densification wave formation of two-layer graded foams with positive and negative gradients. The shape of the stress waveform changed during the propagation process, and the time of edge rising was extended.

Aminoazobenzene@Ag modified meshes with large extent photo-response: towards reversible oil/water removal from oil/water mixtures.

Photo-responsive materials with superwetting properties, especially in the azo-based class, have been used in water treatment because of their smart performance on wettability changes. However, their transformation extent in wettability has always troubled researchers. Here, we modified nano-Ag pine needles and aminoazobenzene (AABN) on polydopamine (PDA) pre-treated porous meshes, realizing a large-extent reversible photo-responsive wettability transformation from highly hydrophobic to highly hydrophilic.

Oxidative Depolymerization of Cellulolytic Enzyme Lignin over Silicotungvanadium Polyoxometalates.

The aim of this study was to explore the catalytic performance of the oxidative depolymerization of enzymatic hydrolysis lignin from cellulosic ethanol fermentation residue by different vanadium substituted Keggin-type polyoxometalates (K₅[SiVWO], K₆[SiV₂WO], and K₆H[SiV₃W₉O]). Depolymerized products were analyzed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), gas chromatography⁻mass spectrometer (GC/MS), and two-dimensional heteronuclear single quantum coherence nuclear magnetic resonance (2D HSQC NMR) analysis. All catalysts showed an effective catalytic activity.

Highly bioactive, bevacizumab-loaded, sustained-release PLGA/PCADK microspheres for intravitreal therapy in ocular diseases.

Bevacizumab, a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-targeting drug, is widely used as an off-label therapeutic for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). To reduce the monthly administration frequency, this study investigated microspheres comprising a poly(d, l-lactide-co-glycolide)/poly(cyclohexane-1,4-diyl acetone dimethylene ketal) (PLGA/PCADK) blend that could be loaded with bevacizumab-dextran particles using solid-in-oil-in-water (S/O/W) emulsification. Control microspheres were also prepared through water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsification.

Heatwaves and diabetes in Brisbane, Australia: a population-based retrospective cohort study.

Background: Available data on the effects of heatwaves on hospitalizations for diabetes and the post-discharge status of diabetics are scarce. This study aimed to assess the effects of heatwaves on hospitalizations and post-discharge deaths for diabetes, and to identify the individual- and community-level characteristics [i.e.