Search

Purpose. Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MIR) injury is a common stimulus for cardiac diseases like cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure and may cause high mortality rates. Salviae miltiorrhizae liguspyragine hydrochloride and glucose injection (SGI) has been widely used to treat myocardial and cerebral infarctions in China even though its pharmacological mechanisms are not completely clear. Methods. The protective effect and mechanism of SGI on MIR injury and heart failure were investigated through the H9c2 cell model induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) and rapamycin, zebrafish model induced by H/R and isoprenaline, and rat MIR model. Results. SGI significantly reduced the infarct size and alleviated the impairment of cardiac functions in the MIR rat model and H/R zebrafish model and promoted cell viability of cardiomyocyte-like H9c2 cells under H/R condition. Consistently, SGI significantly downregulated the serum level of biomarkers for cardiac damage and attenuated the oxidative damage in the MIR and H/R models. We also found that SGI could downregulate the increased autophagy level in those MIR and H/R models since autophagy can contribute to the injurious effects of ischemia-reperfusion in the heart, suggesting that SGI may alleviate MIR injury via regulating the autophagy pathway. In addition, we demonstrated that SGI also played a protective role in the isoproterenol-induced zebrafish heart failure model, and SGI significantly downregulated the increased autophagy and SP1/GATA4 pathways. Conclusion. SGI may exert anti-MIR and heart failure by inhibiting activated autophagy and the SP1/GATA4 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine whether circular RNA hsa_circ_0002874 could serve as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of gastric cancer (GC). The expression level of hsa_circ_0002874 mean (interquartile range [IQR]) in the plasma of patients with GC, patients with benign gastric lesions, and healthy individuals was 3.482 (IQR, 1.524–9.048), 1.261 (IQR, 0.817–2.000), and 1.00 (IQR, 0.726–1.382), respectively, whereas there was no significant difference between the latter 2 groups. The plasma expression level of hsa_circ_0002874 was significantly correlated with tumor stage (U  = 234.0; P < .001) and lymph node metastasis (U  = 240.0; P < .001). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that the sensitivity of the combined determination of hsa_circ_0002874 and the serum markers CEA and CA19-9 was 95.8% in patients with GC compared with that of the healthy group and 93.0% compared with that of patients with benign gastric tumor lesions. The specificity of hsa_circ_0002874 in differentiating GC from benign lesions was 98.3%. The results showed that plasma hsa_circ_0002874 may prove to be a useful biomarker for auxiliary diagnosis, the grading of malignant neoplasms, and the prognostic prediction of GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are commonly used as prebiotic with a variety of known metabolic benefits; however, whether GOS plays a protective role in obesity remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that GOS prevented obesity in a rat model of obesity induced by a high-fat diet. Our results showed that GOS effectively slowed weight gain in diet-induced obese rats without affecting energy intake. GOS significantly suppressed the hypertrophy and hyperplasia of white adipose tissue and markedly reduced the ratio of the fat/body. Consistently, GOS significantly improved serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, indicating the weight loss activity of GOS. Interestingly, GOS also significantly increased the expression levels of browning proteins, including uncoupling protein 1, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α, and PR domain 16, in both white and brown adipose tissue. Furthermore, we found that GOS markedly increased the expression levels of liver X receptor α, peroxisome proliferation-activated receptor-α, low-density lipoprotein receptor, and cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase proteins in the liver of obese rats. Taken together, we concluded that GOS inhibits obesity by accelerating the browning of white fat cells and the thermogenesis of brown fat cells and that GOS improves host lipid homeostasis by promoting cholesterol catabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing studies have demonstrated excellent tribological properties of graphene as lubricant additive. Thus, extended explanations of the relationship between microstructure and tribological properties are needed. This paper reported the effects of thickness and particle size of graphene on its frictional performance, using a ball-on-plate tribotester under reciprocating condition. Graphene with few-layer (G2) or multi-layer (G10) structure was added to PAO4 as lubricant additive. The particle of G10 was further separated through centrifugation into two types, large size G10 (G10L) and small size G10 (G10S). G10S exhibits excellent reduction in friction (37%) and wear (47%) relative to the neat base oil, indicating the superior tribological properties of graphene with more layers and smaller particle size. Wear scar analysis shows that the surface lubricated with G10 is flatter and glossier than that of G2. It can be hypothesized that the interlaminar shear slip is more likely to occur in multi-layer graphene, leading to better friction reduction and wear resistance performance. Graphene with smaller particle size is not only less prone to structural defects and wrinkles, but also more easily adsorbed onto the sliding surface to form a lubricating film, providing enhanced wear and frictional performance. The present work suggests that the thickness and size may have direct influence on the tribological properties of graphene, providing theoretical and experimental guidance for the application of graphene as lubricant additive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• OMT significantly attenuated neutrophil migration, restored the mRNA expression levels of JNK, casp3, mapk14a, mapkapk2a and map2k1 damaged by zebrafish caudal fin wound model and copper sulfate injury model. • In the vitro experiment, OMT regulated the chemotaxis of primary neutrophil inflammatory response in mice, increased phagocytosis, decreased the level of oxidative stress and alleviated the level of inflammation. Sophora flavescens Ait. (SFA), an extensively utilized herb for the treatment of fevers, inflammatory disorders, ulcers and skin diseases related to bur, contains oxymatrine (OMT) as its principal active constituent. OMT exerts regulatory effects over inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis. Neutrophils, critical regulators of the inflammation response, have not been thoroughly elucidated regarding the protective properties and underlying mechanisms of OMT-mediated anti-inflammation. This study was aim to explore the protective effect of OMT on neutrophils under inflammatory conditions and delve into its potential mechanism. Leveraging the advantages of zebrafish, an animal model with a real-time dynamic observation system, we established an in vivo caudal fin wound model and a copper sulfate induced-inflammation model in zebrafish line Tg (mpx:GFP). The result revealed that OMT significantly attenuated neutrophil migration, upregulated the mRNA expression levels of JNK, casp3, mapk14a, mapkapk2a and map2k1 damaged by zebrafish caudal fin wound model, and downregulated mRNA expression levels of JNK, casp3, mapk14a, mapkapk2a and map2k1 in the copper sulfate injury model. In vitro experiments demonstrated that OMT modulated the chemotaxis response of primary neutrophils from mice, enhanced phagocytosis, reduced oxidative stress and alleviated inflammation level. We hypothesize that the OMT may exert its anti-inflammatory effects by regulating primary neutrophils through the MAPK signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Adhesion strength as a new perspective to study the Zhundong coal ash deposition. • The melting of sulfate and feldspar minerals mainly leads to the ash adhesion. • The effect mechanism of additives on the ash adhesion strength was investigated. • The ash adhesion strength was measured by a new self-designed tester. Herein, ash adhesion strength has been investigated via a new self-designed tester for solving the severe ash deposition problems of Zhundong high-calcium coal. The results indicate that the ash adhesion strength of Zhundong high-calcium coal appears at 800 °C and increases with the temperature rising. The ash adhesion strength increases rapidly at about 1100 °C, and reaches 184.933 kPa at 1200 °C. Above 800 °C, the melting of sulfate results in the ash adhesion strength of Zhundong high-calcium coal. As the temperature increases, feldspar minerals, such as gehlenite and akermanite, form a low-temperature eutectic, causing greater ash adhesion strength. The ash adhesion strength is positively correlated with ash shrinkage. Kaolin and vermiculite can effectively inhibit the formation and melting of sulfate and decrease the ash adhesion strength of Zhundong high-calcium coal. At 1200 °C, kaolin and struvite can increase the content of minerals with high melting temperature and decrease the ash adhesion strength. Kaolin additive is more suitable for the Zhundong high-calcium coal combustion below 1200 °C and can effectively reduce the ash adhesion strength by 55.9% at 1200 °C. Vermiculite additive is well suited for circulating fluidized bed boilers and can almost eliminate the ash adhesion strength below 1000 °C. Struvite additive only shows good ash adhesion strength inhibition above 1000 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]