Therapeutic potential of the topical recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist in guinea pigs with allergic rhinitis.

Background: Recombinant human Interleukin receptor antagonist (rhIL-Ra) can bind to the IL-1 receptor on the cell membrane and reversibly blocks the proinflammatory signaling pathway. However, its effect on allergic rhinitis (AR) and the underlying mechanism remains unknown. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (rhIL-1Ra) on AR guinea pigs.

Distribution and characteristics of microplastics in an urban river: The response to urban waste management.

The rivers have been proven to be potential sources and the major transport pathways of microplastic (MP) in natural aquatic eco-systems, yet there is an absence of understanding the provenances and distribution dynamics of MP in fluvial water body of urban regions. The present investigation aimed to characterize the distribution and accumulation of MPs in both surface water and riverine bed sediments in a typical urban river (Nanming River, southwest China), during the dry and wet seasons of 2021. MP were detected throughout the entire sample set, with average surface water abundances of 750 ± 53 n/m and 693.

Stable expression of a truncated TLX variant drives differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells into self-renewing neural stem cells for production of extracellular vesicles.

Background: Neural stem cells (NSCs)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) possess great potential in treating severe neurological and cerebrovascular diseases, as they carry the modulatory and regenerative ingredients of NSCs. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)-derived NSCs culture represents a sustainable source of therapeutic EVs. However, there exist two major challenges in obtaining a scalable culture of NSCs for high-efficiency EVs production: (1) the heterogeneity of iPSC-derived NSCs culture impairs the production of high-quality EVs and (2) the intrinsic propensity of neuronal or astroglial differentiation of NSCs during prolonged culturing reduces the number of NSCs for preparing EVs.

Improving emulsification properties of alkaline protein extract from green tea residue by enzymatic methods.

Alkaline extraction is an important process in the integrated biorefining of leafy biomass to obtain protein, but the resulting alkaline protein extract (APE) may have poor emulsification properties for food applications. In this study, the components in the APE fractionations obtained by size exclusion chromatography were determined. The emulsification properties of APE were determined using oil/water with a ratio of 7:3.

Chronic oiling in global oceans.

Ocean oil slicks can be attributed to natural seepages or to anthropogenic discharges. To date, the global picture of their distribution and relative natural and anthropogenic contributions remains unclear. Here, by analyzing 563,705 Sentinel-1 images from 2014-2019, we provide the first global map of oil slicks and a detailed inventory of static-and-persistent sources (natural seeps, platforms, and pipelines).

Optical quantification of oil emulsions in multi-band coarse-resolution imagery using a lab-derived HSV model.

Oil emulsions can harm marine and coastal environments for extended periods. Timely identification and quantification of oil emulsions are essential for oil spill response. Although SAR is the most commonly used technique in detecting oil presence, it has limits in oil quantification.

Anthropogenic rare earth elements in urban lakes: Their spatial distributions and tracing application.

Anthropogenic activities associated with various new technologies are increasingly disrupting the geochemical cycles of rare earth elements (REEs). For example, samarium (Sm) and gadolinium (Gd) have emerged as microcontaminants in the natural waters of developed areas. Surface water samples of 13 urban lakes were collected in Wuhan, the largest city in central China, with a population of over 11 million.

Liraglutide-Loaded Milk Exosomes Lower Blood Glucose When Given by Sublingual Route.

Bovine milk is rich in extracellular vesicles (mEVs) which have been suggested as a possible drug delivery vehicle with oral bioavailability. As the digestive fluids contain many lipid- and protein-degrading enzymes, we explored whether mEVs given sublingually could be taken up systemically. mEVs were isolated using three different protocols, which were 120 nm in diameter and carried bovine CD81.

Evaluation of China's High-Speed Rail Station Development and Nearby Human Activity Based on Nighttime Light Images.

High-speed rail (HSR) represents China's advancing productivity; however, quite a few HSR stations face problems due to inappropriate planning and limited passenger flow. To optimize future planning on HSR lines and stations and facilitate efficient operation, we used brightness as a representative of station development and nearby human activity, analyzing its spatial and temporal distribution, classification categories, and influencing factors of 980 stations using nighttime light images from 2012 to 2019. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) There are 41 stations with high brightness between 80 and 320 nW·cm·sr, which are concentrated in provincial capitals, large cities, and at line ends.

Trajectory of coastal wetland vegetation in Xiangshan Bay, China, from image time series.

Coastal wetland vegetation is crucial for providing multiple ecosystem services. However, accurate assessment of wetland vegetation is problematic due to the challenging coastal environment. Using Xiangshan Bay (XB) in China as a typical case study, we developed a time series biological phenological approach to classifying coastal wetland vegetation using Landsat time-series images from 1984 to 2018.

Understanding the Spatial-Temporal Patterns and Influential Factors on Air Quality Index: The Case of North China.

North China has become one of the worst air quality regions in China and the world. Based on the daily air quality index (AQI) monitoring data in 96 cities from 2014-2016, the spatiotemporal patterns of AQI in North China were investigated, then the influence of meteorological and socio-economic factors on AQI was discussed by statistical analysis and ESDA-GWR (exploratory spatial data analysis-geographically weighted regression) model. The principal results are as follows: (1) The average annual AQI from 2014-2016 exceeded or were close to the Grade II standard of Chinese Ambient Air Quality (CAAQ), although the area experiencing heavy pollution decreased.

Uncertainty in the optical remote estimation of the biomass of Ulva prolifera macroalgae using MODIS imagery in the Yellow Sea.

A laboratory experiment was conducted to obtain a floating algae index (FAI) of the floating macroalgae (Ulva prolifera), corresponding to various values of biomass per unit area (BPA). A piecewise empirical model was used to fit the statistical relationships between BPA and FAI, corresponding to FAI ≤ 0.2 (BPA ≤ 1.

Spatiotemporal variation and socioeconomic drivers of air pollution in China during 2005-2016.

Air pollution in China has become a matter of significant public concern. In this study, we investigated the spatiotemporal patterns and socioeconomic drivers of air pollution in China during 2005-2016, based on a long time series of air monitoring data together with the spatial econometrics model. The results show that air pollution in China as a whole exhibited a decreasing trend during the study period whereas concentrated and intensified in the north of China.

Refined use of AISA band-differences for oil slick identification beyond brightness contrast reversal under sunglint.

Marine oil slicks show brighter or darker than surrounding oil-free seawater under different sunglint, which can be observed by satellite optical sensors. Although this has been interpreted using a critical angle concept and simulated using the Cox-Munk model, it has not been demonstrated in high spatial resolution images from airborne sensors. In this study, an AISA (airborne imaging spectrometer for applications) image was used to determine the characteristics of non-emulsion oil slicks under sunglint in high spatial resolution images.

A study of the environmental factors influencing the growth phases of Ulva prolifera in the southern Yellow Sea, China.

Macroalgal blooms of U. prolifera in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) have become an ecological disaster. In this study, we attempt to explore the influence of environmental factors and human activity on the annual development of U.

Evolution of Landscape Ecological Risk at the Optimal Scale: A Case Study of the Open Coastal Wetlands in Jiangsu, China.

Detailed analysis of the evolution characteristics of landscape ecological risk is crucial for coastal sustainable management and for understanding the potential environmental impacts of a man-made landform landscapes (MMLL). As a typical open coastal wetland, large-scale human activities (e.g.

Effects of neuro-immuno-modulation on healing of wound combined with local radiation injury in rats.

Purpose: To investigate effects of neuro-immuno-modulation on wound healing by observing changes of cytokines and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hormones in acute stress reaction in rats with wound and combined local radiation injury.

Methods: Sixty female Wistar rats (weighting 200 ± 20 g) were randomly divided into normal control group, wound group and combined wound-local radiation (CWR) group (25 Gy local radiation post wound), 20 rats in each group. Contents of IL-1β, IL-6 and IFN-γ and IL-4 in serum were measured and changes of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and glucocorticoid (GC) in serum were analyzed by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and radioimmunologic assay, respectively at different time points post wound and radiation.

W1, a Novel Oral Antiplatelet Agent With Less Resistance Than Clopidogrel.

Clopidogrel (CLO) is a clinical antiplatelet agent, about which there are major concerns because its antiplatelet efficiency decreases with insufficient metabolic activation, leading to "clopidogrel resistance." We aimed to determine the antiplatelet effects of W1, a novel molecule composed of 2-O-clopidogrel and aspirin (1:1 ratio), on platelet aggregation ex vivo and thrombus formation in vivo, and its susceptibility to CLO resistance in combination with other therapies in rats. Platelets were prepared, and an arteriovenous shunt thrombosis model was established using Wistar rats to measure platelet aggregation and thrombus formation, respectively.

Satellite data lift the veil on offshore platforms in the South China Sea.

Oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea (SCS) has garnered global attention recently; however, uncertainty regarding the accurate number of offshore platforms in the SCS, let alone their detailed spatial distribution and dynamic change, may lead to significant misjudgment of the true status of offshore hydrocarbon production in the region. Using both fresh and archived space-borne images with multiple resolutions, we enumerated the number, distribution, and annual rate of increase of offshore platforms across the SCS. Our results show that: (1) a total of 1082 platforms are present in the SCS, mainly located in shallow-water; and (2) offshore oil/gas exploitation in the SCS is increasing in intensity and advancing from shallow to deep water, and even to ultra-deep-water.

Effect of Atorvastatin on Expression of Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor Beta/delta in Angiotensin II-induced Hypertrophic Myocardial Cells In Vitro.

Objective: To explore the effect of atorvastatin on cardiac hypertrophy and to determine the potential mechanism involved.

Methods: An in vitro cardiomyocyte hypertrophy from neonatal rats was induced with angiotensin II (Ang II) stimulation. Before Ang II stimulation, the cultured rat cardiac myocytes were pretreated with atorvastatin at different concentrations (0.

Apolipoprotein A-I Mimetic Peptide D-4F Reduces Cardiac Hypertrophy and Improves Apolipoprotein A-I-Mediated Reverse Cholesterol Transport From Cardiac Tissue in LDL Receptor-null Mice Fed a Western Diet.

Epidemiological studies have suggested that hypercholesterolemia is an independent determinant of increased left ventricular (LV) mass. Because high-density lipoprotein and its major protein apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) mediate reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) and have cardiac protective effects, we hypothesized that the apoA-I mimetic peptide D-4F could promote RCT in cardiac tissue and decrease cardiac hypertrophy induced by hypercholesterolemia. Low-density lipoprotein receptor-null mice were fed by a Western diet for 18 weeks and then randomized to receive water, or D-4F 0.

Protective effects of kojic acid on the periphery blood and survival of beagle dogs after exposure to a lethal dose of gamma radiation.

In previous studies, it has been shown that pretreatment with kojic acid (KA) not only increased the 30 day survival rate of mice after exposed to a lethal dose of gamma radiation but also had significant radioprotective effects on the hematopoietic system, the immune system and DNA of mice exposed to a 4 Gy sublethal dose of radiation. Furthermore, pretreatment with KA has also been shown to protect Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells against ionizing radiation-induced damage. In this investigation, beagle dogs were used to evaluate whether KA could also be radioprotective in a large animal model.

Kojic acid protects C57BL/6 mice from gamma-irradiation induced damage.

The radioprotective effects of a single administration of kojic acid (KA) against ionizing radiation were evaluated via assessment of 30-day survival and alterations of peripheral blood parameters of adult C57BL/6 male mice. The 30-day survival rate of mice pretreated with KA (75 or 300 mg/kg body weight, KA75 or KA300) subcutaneously 27 h prior to a lethal dose (8 Gy, 153.52 cGy/min) of gamma irradiation was higher than that of mice irradiated alone (40% or 60% vs 0%).

GRK 2 level in peripheral blood lymphocytes of elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Objective: To investigate the G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK 2) level in peripheral blood lymphocytes with cardiac function in elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Methods: This study enrolled 40 patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and 40 patients with unstable angina. All patients were 65 years or older.

Proton sponge-functionalized silica as high performance adsorbents for solid-phase extraction of trace perfluoroalkyl sulfonates in the environmental water samples and their direct analysis by MALDI-TOF-MS.

1,8-Bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene (DMAN), a classical 'proton sponge', was functionalized on silica particles as a novel solid-phase extraction (SPE) adsorbent (DMAN@silica) for extracting perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFSs). High reproducibility and excellent extraction capability for PFSs were obtained in a wide pH range (3.0~8.