The role of ursodeoxycholic acid on cholestatic hepatic fibrosis in infant rats.

The aim of the present study was to identify the impact of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on liver function and fibrosis markers in infant rats by establishing a cholestatic‑induced hepatic fibrosis model. α‑naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) was administrated by gavage to induce cholestatic hepatic fibrosis in infant rats. UCDA treatment was performed to assess its impact on biochemical indicators of liver function, four serum biomarkers of hepatic fibrosis, hepatic fibrosis indices in liver tissues and the pathology of liver tissues.

Association between urine retinol-binding protein levels and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A cross-sectional study in Chinese population.

Objective: The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been rapidly increased, becoming a public health problem worldwide. Our objective was to investigate the association between urine retinol-binding protein (RBP) and NAFLD in a Chinese population and develop a multivariate logistic regression model for NAFLD prediction.

Methods: A total of 317 NAFLD patients and 391 healthy controls were enrolled in this cross-sectional study based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, from whom fasting urine and blood were collected for further study.

Investigation of Binding Modes and Functional Surface of Scorpion Toxins ANEP to Sodium Channels 1.7.

The depressant β toxin anti-neuroexcitation peptide (ANEP) from the Chinese scorpion Karsch has analgesic activity by interacting with receptor site 4 of the voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs). Here, with molecular dynamics simulations, we examined the binding modes between ANEP and the site 4 of mice sodium channel 1.7 (mNa1.

Unexpected Synthesis of a Bulky Bis-Pocket A₃B-Type Meso-Cyano Porphyrin.

A one-pot synthesis of bulky bis-pocket A₃B-type -cyano porphyrin, 5-cyano-10,15,20-tris(2,4,6-triphenylphenyl)porphyrin, has been accomplished via trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) catalyzed condensation of pyrrole and 2,4,6-triphenylbenzaldehyde in an acceptable yield of about 4%. DDQ served as oxidant and the cyanating agent.

Fos Promotes Early Stage Teno-Lineage Differentiation of Tendon Stem/Progenitor Cells in Tendon.

Stem cells have been widely used in tendon tissue engineering. The lack of refined and controlled differentiation strategy hampers the tendon repair and regeneration. This study aimed to find new effective differentiation factors for stepwise tenogenic differentiation.

A mutant of the Karsch antitumor-analgesic peptide exhibits reduced inhibition to hNa1.4 and hNa1.5 channels while retaining analgesic activity.

Scorpion toxins can kill other animals by inducing paralysis and arrhythmia, which limits the potential applications of these agents in the clinical management of diseases. Antitumor-analgesic peptide (AGAP), purified from Karsch, has been proved to possess analgesic and antitumor activities. Trp, a conserved aromatic residue of AGAP, might play an important role in mediating AGAP activities according to the sequence and homology-modeling analyses.

Light-induced self-assembly of bi-color CdTe quantum dots allows the discrimination of multiple proteins.

We have found that the addition of proteins can greatly influence the light-induced self-assembly (LISA) behavior of bi-color thioglycolic acid (TGA)-capped CdTe Quantum Dots (QDs) and thus cause significant changes of their fluorescence (FL) signals (color and intensity), according to which a dual-channel FL sensor can be established for simultaneous discrimination of multiple proteins. The sensor is successfully used for the identification of ten native proteins and ten thermally denatured proteins and eight native proteins artificially added in human urine, respectively, during which process principal component analysis (PCA) is utilized to differentiate the targets based on their corresponding FL change patterns. This assay has provided a visual and simple method for the discrimination of various analytes, which may have great potential in the study of conformational changes of biomacromolecules and the analysis of real biological fluids.

Sorafenib targets the mitochondrial electron transport chain complexes and ATP synthase to activate the PINK1-Parkin pathway and modulate cellular drug response.

Sorafenib (Nexavar) is a broad-spectrum multikinase inhibitor that proves effective in treating advanced renal-cell carcinoma and liver cancer. Despite its well-characterized mechanism of action on several established cancer-related protein kinases, sorafenib causes variable responses among human tumors, although the cause for this variation is unknown. In an unbiased screening of an oncology drug library, we found that sorafenib activates recruitment of the ubiquitin E3 ligase Parkin to damaged mitochondria.

Spatio-temporal variability of particulate matter in the key part of Gansu Province, Western China.

To investigate the spatial and temporal behaviors of particulate matter in Lanzhou, Jinchang and Jiayuguan during 2014, the hourly concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were collected from the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) in this study. The analysis indicated that the mean annual PM10 (PM2.

Robust composite silk fibers pulled out of silkworms directly fed with nanoparticles.

This paper reports the impacts of direct feeding silkworms with different nanoparticles (Cu, Fe, and TiO) on the morphology, structures, and mechanical properties of the resulting silk fiber (SF). The contents of the Cu nanoparticles were 38 times higher in the posterior silk glands and only 2-3 times higher in the SF and in the middle silk glands compared with the controlled groups. Significant changes of the surface morphology, structures, and diameter of the Cu nanoparticle fed SF have been observed, which are attributed to a slight SF protein reconstruction or conformational change in the mixture of silk fibroin and sericin in the silk glands.

Correlation of four potential biomarkers of liver fibrosis with liver function and grade of hepatic fibrosis in a neonatal cholestatic rat model.

The present study investigated the correlation between four serum biomarkers of liver fibrosis, liver function and pathological hepatic fibrosis grade in neonatal cholestatic rats. A total of 38 Sprague‑Dawley rats, aged 3 weeks, were randomly assigned to the experimental group (EG), control group (CG) and the blank control group (BCG). EG received intragastric administration of 1% α‑naphthylisothiocyanate, 75 mg/kg, to induce acute cholestasis liver injury, CG and BCG were set as control groups.

Enhanced topical penetration, system exposure and anti-psoriasis activity of two particle-sized, curcumin-loaded PLGA nanoparticles in hydrogel.

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated skin disorder, which is triggered by the aberrant activation of dendritic cells in skin. This activation is followed by the complex interaction between the immune cells in the skin and keratinocyte in the epidermis. To improve the conditions of poor aqueous solubility and chemical stability, overcome skin barriers, and enhance in vivo anti-psoriatic activity, curcumin (Cur) loaded poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) were fabricated and administered by topical route to treat imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like mouse model.

Maternal dyslipidemia during pregnancy may increase the risk of preterm birth: A meta-analysis.

Epidemiological studies have reported an inconsistent relationship between maternal lipid levels and preterm birth (PTB). We performed this meta-analysis to evaluate the association between maternal dyslipidemia and PTB. Overall, three nested case-control studies and eight cohort studies were eligible.

Effects of melatonin on seedling growth, mineral nutrition, and nitrogen metabolism in cucumber under nitrate stress.

In China, excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers in glasshouses leads to nitrate accumulations in soil and plants, which then limits productivity. Melatonin, an evolutionarily highly conserved molecule, has a wide range of functions in plants. We analyzed the effects of melatonin pretreatment on the growth, mineral nutrition, and nitrogen metabolism in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.

Validation of the G.LAB MD2200 wrist blood pressure monitor according to the European Society of Hypertension, the British Hypertension Society, and the International Organization for Standardization Protocols.

Objective: To validate the G.LAB MD2200 automated wrist blood pressure (BP) monitors according to the European Society of Hypertension International Protocol (ESH-IP) revision 2010, the British Hypertension Society (BHS), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 81060-2:2013 protocols.

Materials And Methods: The device was assessed on 33 participants according to the ESH requirements and was then tested on 85 participants according to the BHS and ISO 81060-2:2013 criteria.

A novel expression vector for the improved solubility of recombinant scorpion venom in Escherichia coli.

Recombinant scorpion anti-excitation peptide (rANEP) has previously been expressed using the pET32a system and purified via affinity chromatography. However, rANEP is expressed in BL21(DE3) cells as an inclusion body, and the affinity tag can not be removed. To overcome this problem, we used a variety of protein, DsbA, MBP, TrxA, intein, and affinity tags in fusion and co-expression to achieve soluble and functional rANEP without any affinity tag.

Correlation analysis between four serum biomarkers of liver fibrosis and liver function in infants with cholestasis.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation between four serum biomarkers of liver fibrosis and liver function in infants with cholestasis. A total of 30 infants with cholestasis and 20 healthy infants were included in the study. Biochemical assays based on the initial rate method and colorimetric assays were conducted to determine the levels of liver function markers in the serum [such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), indirect bilirubin (IBIL), γ-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT), cholinesterase (CHE) and total bile acids (TBA)] and four serum biomarkers of liver fibrosis were measured using radioimmunoassays [hyaluronic acid (HA), procollagen type III (PCIII), laminin (LN) and collagen type IV (cIV)].

Characterization and comparison of post-natal rat Achilles tendon-derived stem cells at different development stages.

Tendon stem/progenitor cells (TSPCs) are a potential cell source for tendon tissue engineering. The striking morphological and structural changes of tendon tissue during development indicate the complexity of TSPCs at different stages. This study aims to characterize and compare post-natal rat Achilles tendon tissue and TSPCs at different stages of development.

Rapid determination of 1-deoxynojirimycin in Morus alba L. leaves by direct analysis in real time (DART) mass spectrometry.

A new method based on a Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) ionization source coupled with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry has been developed for rapid qualitative and quantitative analyses of 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) in mulberry leaves. Two ions produced from DNJ, [M+H](+) (m/z 164) and [M-2H+H](+) (m/z 162), are observed using DART-MS in the positive ion mode. The peak areas of the two selected ions monitoring (SIM) signals of ([M+H](+) (m/z 164) and [M-2H+H](+) (m/z 162)) are integrated to determine the peak area for quantitative analyses.

The Difference in Nutrient Intakes between Chinese and Mediterranean, Japanese and American Diets.

Across countries, the predominant diets are clearly different and highly related with human health. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate dietary nutrients between them. This study aimed to evaluate dietary nutrients in China and compare those between Chinese and Mediterranean (Italian), Japanese and American diets.

Activation of Methane by the Pyridine Radical Cation and its Substituted Forms in the Gas Phase.

We present an experimental study of methane activation by pyridine cation and its substituents in the gas phase. Mass spectrometric experiments in an ion trap demonstrate that pyridine cation and some of its substituent cations are able to react with methane. The deuterated methane experiment has confirmed that the hydrogen atom in the ionic product of reaction does come from methane.

Application of nano- and micro-particles on the topical therapy of skin-related immune disorders.

Several immune disorders may occur in the skin, such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and vitiligo. As the largest organ in the human body, skin provides a unique and non-invasive platform to deliver active pharmaceutical ingredients into superficial lesions or even circulations. In recent years, novel pharmaceutical particles were applied in the topical treatment for skin-related immune disorders to keep the stability, improve the bioactivity, as well as reduce the toxicity of APIs, or even provide a targeting property for the agents.

Synthesis and study of three novel macrocyclic selena[n]ferrocenophanes containing a naphthalene unit.

Three novel macrocyclic ligands, L1-L3, in which a ferrocene unit and a fluorescent moiety are linked to polyselena rings have been designed and prepared from 1,1'-bis(3-bromopropylseleno)ferrocene. Reaction of L with [M(NCMe)4](PF6)2 (M = Pd and Pt) led to complexes [ML](PF6)2 (M = Pd and Pt). Crystal structure analysis revealed that after complexation, the macrocyclic ligand adopts the unusual c,c,c conformation due to intramolecular C-H···π interactions from the hydrogen atoms of ferrocene moieties to the naphthalene ring.

Scutellarin from Scutellaria baicalensis suppresses adipogenesis by upregulating PPARα in 3T3-L1 cells.

Adipocyte dysfunction is a major cause of obesity, which is associated strongly with many disorders including psychological and medical morbidities, metabolic abnormalities, and cardiovascular diseases as well as a series of cancers. This study investigated the antiadipogenic activity of scutellarin (1) in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms. It was observed that 1 reduced adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells potently, as evidenced by a decrease in cellular lipid accumulation.