[Biological Effect of Microplastics with Different Functional Groups on the Bacterial Communities and Metabolic Functions of Zebrafish () Embryos].

To investigate the influences of functional groups on the biological effects caused by microplastics, the accumulation of three polystyrene microplastics (PS, PS-NH, and PS-COOH) in zebrafish () embryos were analyzed, and then the responses of metabolic functions and microbial communities in zebrafish larvae were revealed using the combination of the microbiome and metabolome methods. The results showed that all microplastics could accumulate in zebrafish with concentrations ranging from 143 to 175 μg·g, and there were no significant differences in the accumulation potentials among different PS treatments. Exposure to plain PS significantly affected the metabolic capacity of aminoglycosides in zebrafish larvae, whereas the metabolic processes of amino acids were affected by PS-NH.

NMDA receptor inhibitor MK801 alleviated pro-inflammatory polarization of BV-2 microglia cells.

Microglia have both protective and pathogenic properties, while polarization plays a decisive role in their functional diversity. Apart from being an energetic organelle, mitochondria possess biological capabilities of signaling and immunity involving mitochondrial dynamics. The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-type glutamate receptor displays excitatory neurotransmission, excitatory neurotoxicity and pro-inflammatory properties in a membrane location- and cell context-dependent manner.

Generation of vector vortex beams by axially symmetric sheared polymer network liquid crystals.

Liquid crystals have been widely used in optoelectronic devices because of their fast response and excellent electro-optic properties. Featuring a unique ability to manipulate light, they are also proposed as a good candidate in topological photonics for further applications. In this study, an axially symmetric sheared polymer network liquid crystal (ASPNLC) is fabricated to demonstrate vector vortex beams.

[Community Structure and Microbial Function Responses of Biofilms Colonizing on Microplastics with Vertical Distribution in Urban Water].

Microplastics have received increasing attention worldwide due to their carrier effects. In the aquatic environment, microplastics always show a vertical distribution, which thereby may change the structure and function of the attached microbial communities. However, few studies have focused on this alteration.

18β-Glycyrrhetinic Acid Protects against Cholestatic Liver Injury in Bile Duct-Ligated Rats.

18β-Glycyrrhetinic acid is a nutraceutical agent with promising hepatoprotective effects. Its protective mechanisms against cholestatic liver injury were further investigated in a rodent model of extrahepatic cholestasis caused by Bile Duct Ligation (BDL) in rats. The daily oral administration of 18β-Glycyrrhetinic acid improved liver histology, serum biochemicals, ductular reaction, oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, impaired autophagy, and fibrosis.

Plumbagin ameliorates bile duct ligation-induced cholestatic liver injury in rats.

Plumbagin, a natural bicyclic naphthoquinone, has diverse pharmacological properties and biological benefits against a number of disorders, including liver disease. Though plumbagin's hepatoprotective potential attracts attention, currently no experimental evidence exists on its effectiveness against cholestatic liver injury. The present study investigated its hepatoprotection in the rat model of extrahepatic cholestasis using Bile Duct Ligation (BDL).

An Optimization-Based Orchestrator for Resource Access and Operation Management in Sliced 5G Core Networks.

Network slicing is a promising technology that network operators can deploy the services by slices with heterogeneous quality of service (QoS) requirements. However, an orchestrator for network operation with efficient slice resource provisioning algorithms is essential. This work stands on Internet service provider (ISP) to design an orchestrator analyzing the critical influencing factors, namely access control, scheduling, and resource migration, to systematically evolve a sustainable network.

Optimization-Based Approaches for Minimizing Deployment Costs for Wireless Sensor Networks with Bounded Estimation Errors.

As wireless sensor networks have become more prevalent, data from sensors in daily life are constantly being recorded. Due to cost or energy consumption considerations, optimization-based approaches are proposed to reduce deployed sensors and yield results within the error tolerance. The correlation-aware method is also designed in a mathematical model that combines theoretical and practical perspectives.

Optimization-Based Resource Management Algorithms with Considerations of Client Satisfaction and High Availability in Elastic 5G Network Slices.

A combined edge and core cloud computing environment is a novel solution in 5G network slices. The clients' high availability requirement is a challenge because it limits the possible admission control in front of the edge cloud. This work proposes an orchestrator with a mathematical programming model in a global viewpoint to solve resource management problems and satisfying the clients' high availability requirements.

Dendritic cells treated with a prostaglandin I analog, iloprost, promote antigen-specific regulatory T cell differentiation in mice.

Iloprost, a stable prostaglandin I (PGI) analog, can inhibit allergic inflammation in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma model via inhibition of airway dendritic cell (DC) function. However, the underlying mechanism of PGI signaling-mediated immunosuppression remains unclear. This study explored whether iloprost-treated DCs can suppress inflammation by promoting antigen-specific regulatory T cell (Treg) differentiation through PGI-G-protein-coupled receptor (IP).

Identification of the PTEN-ARID4B-PI3K pathway reveals the dependency on ARID4B by PTEN-deficient prostate cancer.

PTEN is frequently mutated in prostate cancer. The tumor suppressor function of PTEN is attributed to its lipid phosphatase activity that counters PI3K action. Here, we report a PTEN-ARID4B-PI3K axis in which PTEN inhibits expression of ARID4B, while ARID4B is a transcriptional activator of the PI3K subunit genes PIK3CA and PIK3R2 that are crucial for activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway.

The efficacy and safety of opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy in treating unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: High tibial osteotomy (HTO) is an effective surgical technique that can stop or inhibit the progression of unicompartmental knee osteoarthritis (KOA) to avoid or postpone the need for knee arthroplasty in patients. Whether opening-wedge high tibial osteotomy (OWHTO) is superior to closing-wedge high tibial osteotomy (CWHTO) in treating unicompartmental KOA remains controversial.

Methods: Databases (Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and PubMed) were searched from their establishment to July 1, 2018 for randomized controlled trials comparing the application of OWHTO to CWHTO in patients with unicompartmental KOA.

Effectively enhanced structural stability and electrochemical properties of LiNiMnO cathode materials poly-(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)- coated for high voltage Li-ion batteries.

Spinel LiNiMnO shows promise as a potential candidate for Li-ion batteries due to its high energy density and high rate performance. However, LiNiMnO (LNMO) spinel oxides usually deliver poor cycle life because of the increasing impedance and gradually dissolving Mn resulting in the destruction of crystal structure. Here, a conductive polymer poly-(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) surface modified strategy is introduced to settle the above challenges.

Temporal-Spatial Establishment of Initial Niche for the Primary Spermatogonial Stem Cell Formation Is Determined by an ARID4B Regulatory Network.

During neonatal testis development, centrally located gonocytes migrate to basement membrane of the seminiferous cords, where physical contact with a niche established by Sertoli cells is essential for transition of gonocytes into spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). To provide structural support and signaling stimuli for the gonocyte-to-SSC transition that occurs at a specific location during a finite phase, temporal-spatial establishment of the niche is critical. To date, the factors that guide Sertoli cells to establish the initial stem cell niche remain largely unknown.

Inhibitory effects of hesperetin on Nav1.5 channels stably expressed in HEK 293 cells and on the voltage-gated cardiac sodium current in human atrial myocytes.

Aim: Voltage-gated sodium channels composed of a pore-forming α subunit and auxiliary β subunits are responsible for the upstroke of the action potential in cardiac myocytes. The pore-forming subunit of the cardiac sodium channel Nav1.5, which is encoded by SCN5A, is the main ion channel that conducts the voltage-gated cardiac sodium current (I) in cardiac cells.

Inhibitory effects of hesperetin on Kv1.5 potassium channels stably expressed in HEK 293 cells and ultra-rapid delayed rectifier K(+) current in human atrial myocytes.

In the present study, the inhibitory effects of hesperetin (HSP) on human cardiac Kv1.5 channels expressed in HEK 293 cells and the ultra-rapid delayed rectifier K(+) current (Ikur) in human atrial myocytes were examined by using the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp techniques. We found that hesperetin rapidly and reversibly suppressed human Kv1.

Tacrolimus inhibits vasoconstriction by increasing Ca(2+) sparks in rat aorta.

The present study attempted to test a novel hypothesis that Ca(2+) sparks play an important role in arterial relaxation induced by tacrolimus. Recorded with confocal laser scanning microscopy, tacrolimus (10 µmol/L) increased the frequency of Ca(2+) sparks, which could be reversed by ryanodine (10 µmol/L). Electrophysiological experiments revealed that tacrolimus (10 µmol/L) increased the large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) currents (BKCa) in rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (AVSMCs), which could be blocked by ryanodine (10 µmol/L).

Effects of neferine on Kv4.3 channels expressed in HEK293 cells and ex vivo electrophysiology of rabbit hearts.

Aim: Neferine is an isoquinoline alkaloid isolated from seed embryos of Nelumbo nucifera (Gaertn), which has a variety of biological activities. In this study we examined the effects of neferine on Kv4.3 channels, a major contributor to the transient outward current (I(to)) in rabbit heart, and on ex vivo electrophysiology of rabbit hearts.

Catecholic amides as potential selective phosphodiesterase 4D inhibitors: Design, synthesis, pharmacological evaluation and structure-activity relationships.

In this study, a series of catechol-based amides (8a-n) with different amide linkers linking the catecholic moiety to the terminal phenyl ring was designed and synthesized as potent phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4D inhibitors. The inhibitory activities of these compounds were evaluated against the core catalytic domains of human PDE4 (PDE4CAT), full-length PDE4B1 and PDE4D7 enzymes, and other PDE family members. The results indicated the majority of compounds 8a-n displayed moderate to good inhibitory activities against PDE4CAT.

[Research Progress on Muscle-derived Stem Cells Capable of Hematopoiesis].

Muscle-derived stem cells (MDSC) are defined as myogenic stem cells endowed with their ability to self-renew and differentiate into multiple cell types of their derivative tissue, and are proved to be over 10 times more efficient in hematopoiesis than hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Although the mechanism which MDSC differentiate into blood cells is still unclear, MDSC were considered to replace HSC to treat the patients suffering from bone marrow diseases such as aplastic anemia and tumor. MDSC are different from HSC in a variety aspects like biological characteristics, protein expression and cell proliferation.

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CONGRUENCE OF REQUIRED AND PERCEIVED LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOR AND SATISFACTION IN ATHLETES.

The purpose of the current study was to explore the relationship between the congruence of perceived and required leadership behavior and the effect of this relationship upon athlete satisfaction in a Chinese setting. Using a sample of volleyball players (n = 233) and athletic directors (n = 19), the present study examined the congruence between required and perceived leadership behavior and the resulting satisfaction of Taiwanese athletes. Analyses revealed athletes were more likely to be satisfied when their perceptions of their coaches' positive feedback behavior conformed to the expectations of their athletic directors.

Doxorubicin Activates Hepatitis B Virus Replication by Elevation of p21 (Waf1/Cip1) and C/EBPα Expression.

Hepatitis B virus reactivation is an important medical issue in cancer patients who undergo systemic chemotherapy. Up to half of CHB carriers receiving chemotherapy develop hepatitis and among these cases a notable proportion are associated with HBV reactivation. However, the molecular mechanism(s) through which various chemotherapeutic agents induce HBV reactivation is not yet fully understood.

Inhibitory effects of imperatorin on voltage-gated K(+) channels and ATP-sensitive K(+) channels.

Background: Imperatorin is a furocoumarin isolated from Angelica archangelica and Cnidium monnieri. It has multiple neuromodulatory actions such as anticonvulsant effects, anxiolytic effects and anti-nociceptive effects. Although there have been reports demonstrating its effects on voltage-gated Na(+) channels (VGSC) and transient reversal potential (TRP) V1 channels in neurons, there is hitherto no work showing whether this compound affects voltage-gated K(+) (Kv) channels and ATP-sensitive K(+) (KATP) channels.

Synthesis and anticancer activities of 3-arylflavone-8-acetic acid derivatives.

This paper describes the synthesis and the antiproliferative activities of compounds 9a-r, 3-aryl analogs of flavone-8-acetic acid that bear diverse substituents on the benzene rings at the 2- and 3-positions of the flavone nucleus. Their direct and indirect cytotoxicities were evaluated against HT-29 human colon adenocarcinoma cell lines, A549 lung adenocarcinoma cell lines and Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (HPBMCs). The results indicate that most of the compounds bearing electron-withdrawing substituents (9b-m) exhibited moderate direct cytotoxicities.