Search

Ethnopharmacological relevance The medicinal plant Morinda officinalis How. (MO) and its root have long been used in traditional medicines in China and northeast Asia as tonics for nourishing the kidney, strengthening the bone and enhancing immunofunction in the treatment of impotence, osteoporosis, depression and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and dermatitis. Aim of the review This review aims to sum up updated and comprehensive information about traditional usage, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of MO and provide insights into potential opportunities for future research and development of this plant. Methods A bibliographic investigation was performed by analyzing the information available on MO in the internationally accepted scientific databases including Pubmed, Scopus and Web of Science, SciFinder, Google Scholar, Yahoo, Ph.D. and M.Sc. dissertations in Chinese. Information was also obtained from some local and foreign books on ethnobotany and ethnomedicines. Results The literature supported the ethnomedicinal uses of MO as recorded in China for various purposes. The ethnomedical uses of MO have been recorded in many regions of China. More than 100 chemical compounds have been isolated from this plant, and the major constituents have been found to be polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, anthraquinones and iridoid glycosides. Crude extracts and pure compounds of this plant are used as effective agents in the treatment of depression, osteoporosis, fatigue, rheumatoid arthritis, and infertility due to their anti-depressant, anti-osteoporosis, pro-fertility, anti-radiation, anti-Alzheimer disease, anti-rheumatoid, anti-fatigue, anti-aging, cardiovascularprotective, anti-oxidation, immune-regulatory, and anti-inflammatory activities. Pharmacokinetic studies have demonstrated that the main components of MO including monotropein and deacetyl asperulosidic acid are distributed in various organs and tissues. The investigation on acute toxicity and genotoxicity indicated that MO is nontoxic. There have no reports on significant adverse effect at a normal dose in clinical application, but MO at dose of more than 1000 mg/kg may cause irritability, insomnia and unpleasant sensations in individual cases. Conclusion MO has emerged as a good source of traditional medicines. Some uses of this plant in traditional medicines have been validated by pharmacological investigations. However, the molecular mechanism, structure-activity relationship, and potential synergistic and antagonistic effects of its multi-components such as polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, anthraquinones and iridoid glycosides need to be further elucidated, and the structural feature of polysaccharides also need to be further clarified. Sophisticated analytical technologies should be developed to comprehensively evaluate the quality of MO based on HPLC-fingerprint and content determination of the active constituents, knowing that these investigations will help further utilize this plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycerol has a very high value of onset potential on the Au/C, so it is difficult to be electrochemically oxidized on pure Au electrocatalyst. When CeO 2 is added to the Au/C, the value of onset potential is more 190 mV shifted negatively and close to that on the E-TEK Pt/C. The results demonstrate that CO remarkably poisons the Pt/C catalyst and CO is a promoter for glycerol oxidation on the Au/C and Au–CeO 2 /C electrodes. In presence of CO, a current promotion from 7.5 mA cm −2 to 15.0 mA cm −2 on the Au–CeO 2 /C electrode, then the current slow decays to the same current without CO. The results show that Au–CeO 2 /C has great anti-poisoning effect on CO and is more stable catalyst than the E-TEK Pt/C for glycerol oxidation in presence of CO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We fabricated fully transparent hafnium indium zinc oxide (HfInZnO) thin film transistors (TFTs) with ZnO:Al(AZO)/Ag/ZnO:Al multilayer source/drain (S/D) electrodes. The effect of Ag interlayer thickness on the electrical and optical properties of AZO(60 nm)/Ag/AZO(60 nm) multilayer films was investigated. The AZO(60 nm)/Ag(10 nm)/AZO(60 nm) multilayer film shows a low sheet resistance of 10.5 Ω/square and a transmittance of 87%. Compared with HfInZnO-TFT with AZO electrode, the performance of the device with AZO/Ag/AZO multilayer electrode was significantly improved. The field effect mobility increased from 3.2 to 5.8 cm 2 /V s, and the threshold voltage reduced from 2.3 to 0.1 V. The improvement was attributed to the lower resistivity of AZO/Ag/AZO multilayer film. The result indicates that AZO/Ag/AZO multilayer electrode is a promising S/D electrode for fully transparent HfInZnO-TFTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon spheres (CSs) with an average diameter of around 500 ∼ 700 nm are prepared by a extended Stöber method. Urchin-like MnO 2 nanorods were deposited on the carbon spheres by hydrothermal method and the thickness of α-MnO 2 shell is about 700 ∼ 800 nm. Pd particles with a diameter of around 8 ∼ 15 nm are dispersed on the surface of vertically aligned α-MnO 2 rods which have a diameter of 40 ∼ 50 nm. Three-dimensional (3D) Pd-MnO 2 /CS shows better activity and stability than Pd/CS and MnO 2 /CS for anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in water electrolysis, which shows that Pd-doped urchin-like CS-MnO 2 core-shell structure material would be a superiority catalyst for the OER. The onset potential shifts negatively and current density improves on the Pd-MnO 2 /CS for the OER, showing a synergistic effect between Pd and MnO 2 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jasminum lanceolarium Roxb is an important traditional Chinese medicine. Its stems and roots have been used for the treatment of rheumatism and fever while the leaves are used as an anti-inflammatory agent to relieve pain. In order to support its traditional Chinese medicinal uses, five animal models were designed and the anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of the 70% EtOH–H 2 O extracts of J. lanceolarium (EJL) were investigated. Meanwhile, biochemical parameters such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) in blood serum of rats exposed to acute (carrageenan) inflammation model were evaluated. At doses of 400 mg/kg, EJL exhibited higher anti-inflammation effect than that of indomethacin and better analgesic activity than that of aspirin ( P <0.001). Furthermore, eleven isolated compounds including six lignanoids ( 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 , 8 , and 11 ) and five iridoids ( 3 , 4 , 5 , 9 , and 10 ) were isolated from the active extracts and showed significant anti-inflammatory activities with the IC 50 values of 1.76–5.22 mg/mL, respectively, when testing their inhibitory effects on phospholipase A 2 in vitro . The results demonstrated that the possible anti-inflammatory mechanisms might be attributed to inhibit the hydrolysis of membrane phospholipids, production on both COX-2 and 5-LOX, and then finally inhibit the release of prostaglandins (PGs), which suggested that EJL had a non-selective inhibitory effect on the release or actions of these mediators, and might be a dual LOX–COX inhibitor for the treatment of inflammation from the natural resource. The studies on the animals and the inflammatory mediators, along with the bioactive compounds presumed that the existences of iridoids and lignanoids could be response for their bioactivities of the whole plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns about the environmental and human health implications of TiO 2 nanoparticles (nTiO 2) are growing with their increased use in consumer and industrial products. Investigations of the underlying molecular mechanisms of nTiO 2 tolerance in organisms will assist in countering nTiO 2 toxicity. In this study, the countermeasures exhibited by the slime mold Physarum polycephalum macroplasmodium against nTiO 2 toxicity were investigated from a physiological, transcriptional, and metabolic perspective. The results suggested that the countermeasures against nTiO 2 exposure include gene-associated metabolic rearrangements in cellular pathways involved in amino acid, carbohydrate, and nucleic acid metabolism. Gene-associated nonmetabolic rearrangements involve processes such as DNA repair, DNA replication, and the cell cycle, and occur mainly when macroplasmodia are exposed to inhibitory doses of nTiO 2. Interestingly, the growth of macroplasmodia and mammal cells was significantly restored by supplementation with a combination of responsive metabolites identified by metabolome analysis. Taken together, we report a novel model organism for the study of nTiO 2 tolerance and provide insights into countermeasures taken by macroplasmodia in response to nTiO 2 toxicity. Furthermore, we also present an approach to mitigate the effects of nTiO 2 toxicity in cells by metabolic intervention. [Display omitted] • Physarum polycephalum macroplasmodium tolerates a relatively high dose of nTiO 2. • Gene-associated metabolic rearrangement is an important countermeasure. • Non-metabolic adjustment mainly responded to the inhibitory dose of nTiO 2. • nTiO 2 toxicity could be attenuated by metabolic intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron overload in the brain and iron-induced oxidative damage have been considered to play key roles in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Hepcidin is a peptide that regulates systemic iron metabolism by interacting with iron exporter ferroportin 1 (FPN1). Studies have indicated that the astrocyte hepcidin could regulate brain iron intake at the blood-brain barrier and injection of hepcidin into brain attenuated iron deposition in the brain. However, whether overexpression of hepcidin in astrocytes of APP/PS1 transgenic mice can alleviate AD symptoms by reducing iron deposition has not been evaluated. In this study, we overexpressed hepcidin in astrocytes of APP/PS1 mice and investigated its effects on β-amyloid (Aβ) aggregation, neuronal loss, iron deposition and iron-induced oxidative damages. Our results showed that the elevated expression of astrocyte hepcidin in APP/PS1 mice significantly improved their cognitive decline, and partially alleviated the formation of Aβ plaques in cortex and hippocampus. Further investigations revealed that overexpression of hepcidin in astrocytes significantly reduced iron levels in cortex and hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice, especially iron content in neurons, which led to the reduction of iron accumulation-induced oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, and finally decreased neuronal cell death in the cortex and hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice. This study demonstrated that overexpression of hepcidin in astrocytes of APP/PS1 mice could partially alleviate AD symptoms and delay the pathological process of AD. Image 1 • Overexpression of hepcidin in astrocytes of APP/PS1 mice improved cognitive function. • Astrocyte hepcidin overexpression alleviated Aβ aggregation and inflammation. • Astrocyte hepcidin overexpression attenuated brain iron deposition. • The reduction of neuronal iron overload prevented iron dependent neuronal death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a fatal disease with increasing morbidity and poor prognosis due to poor response to conventional chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Neurotensin (NTS) has long been recognized as an important factor in the central nervous system and as an endocrine agent in the peripheral circulation via NTS receptor (NTSR) mediated actions. In recent years, NTS has been implicated in the carcinogenesis of numerous cancers; however, its role in cholangiocarcinoma remains obscure. Here, we observed the expression of NTS in cholangiocarcinoma vs. non-cancerous tissues and found that up-regulation of NTS facilitated cholangiocarcinoma cell metastasis and down-regulation of NTS inhibited their migration ability. Mechanistically, NTS drove cholangiocarcinoma cell metastasis via the EGFR/AKT pathway. Both the PI3-K inhibitor LY294002 or EGFR inhibitor Erlotinib stopped the discrepant metastatic capacity between NTS-depleted cholangiocarcinoma cells and control cells, further confirming that EGFR/AKT was required in NTS-promoted cholangiocarcinoma cell metastasis. More importantly, overexpression of NTS predicted poor prognosis of CCA patients. In summary, NTS could promote cholangiocarcinoma cells metastasis by amplifying EGFR/AKT signaling and may therefore be useful to predict patient prognosis. Highlights • We for first time found that NTS was upregulated in CCA patients' tissues. • We for first time found that NTS promotes CCA cells metastasis. • We found that EGFR/AKT was the downstream of NTS in CCA cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, a biopsy provides the most reliable evidence for diagnosing a disease, and the majority of doctors do not question the diagnosis made by a pathologist. However, an inaccurate diagnosis may lead to serious consequences; for example, a benign tumor may be misdiagnosed as a malignancy, or a malignancy may be deemed to be benign. How to avoid these types of mistakes is a continuing issue of concern to all doctors. Here, we report a case of small cell lung cancer misdiagnosed as an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor. Fortunately, we performed a mediastinoscopy on the patient and discovered the actual pathologic condition. This case is presented to caution against the possibility of the misdiagnosis of uncommon diseases in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel BaZnSnO semiconductor is fabricated using solution process and the influence of Ba addition on the structure, the chemical state of oxygen and electrical performance of BaZnSnO thin films are investigated. A high performance BaZnSnO-based thin film transistor with 15 mol% Ba is obtained, showing a saturation mobility of 1.94 cm 2 /V s, a threshold voltage of 3.6 V, an on/off current ratio of 6.2 × 10 6 , a subthreshold swing of 0.94 V/decade, and a good bias stability. Transistors with solution processed BaZnSnO films are promising candidates for the development of future large-area, low-cost and high-performance electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the work, novel indium yttrium oxide (InYO) thin films are prepared by an environmentally friendly aqueous solution process. Y element is added to suppress the generation of oxygen vacancies. The effect of Y doping on the performance and stability of nontoxic water-induced InYO thin film transistors (TFTs) is firstly examined. With the increase of Y doping contents, off-state current is decreased and mobility decreases from 15.8 to 11.7 cm2 V−1 s−1. Furthermore, the stability under positive bias stress is also obviously improved. The device with 2 mol% Y element shows an optimized electrical performance and good stability, including mobility of 12.8 cm2/V s, threshold voltage of 1.4 V, subthreshold swing of 0.33 V/decade and threshold voltage shift of 2.31 V under positive voltage stress of 5 V for 10,000 s. The performance improvement is attributed to the decrease of oxygen vacancies and the decline of interface trap density by Y addition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estrogen deficiency and inflammation are known to play important roles in bone metabolism and occurrence of osteoporosis. Monotropein as an iridoid glycoside is reported to decrease estrogen deficiency-induced bone loss and inhibit inflammatory response in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. However, the effect of monotropein on bone loss in chronic inflammatory conditions remains unclear. It was found in the present study that monotropein significantly inhibited bone mass reduction and improved bone micro-architectures by enhancing bone formation and blocking increased secretion of inflammatory cytokines in osteoporotic mice induced by combined ovariectomy and LPS. Our in vitro experiment further demonstrated that monotropein was able to increase the proliferation and activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bone matrix mineralization and the expression of bone matrix protein osteopontin (OPN) in osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells injured by LPS. In addition, monotropein significantly decreased the production of IL-6 and IL-1β, inhibited the nuclear translocation of p65 and NF-κB P50, and down-regulated the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 and IKK, indicating that monotropein could attenuate inflammatory impairment to MC3T3-E1 cells by suppressing the activation of NF-κB pathway. All these results suggest that monotropein may prove to be a promising candidate for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory bone loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims The antihypertensive mechanism (s) of the epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a major effective component in green tea, might associate with microRNAs (miRNAs). Here, we aimed to investigate which microRNA in aorta of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) were modulated by administration of EGCG and its mechanism. Main methods The pharmacokinetic behaviors of EGCG and epigallocatechin (EGC) in Sprague-Dawley rats were analyzed by HPLC and DRUG AND STATISTICS software. Blood pressure of SHRs was monitored by the tail-cuff method, the miRNomes of aorta from SHRs was analyzed with deep sequencing, and expression of hypertension-associated miRNAs with significant change and their host genes and target genes were validated by real-time PCR and Western blot. Key findings The plasma deposition of EGCG and EGC best fitted a mono-compartmental model with maximum plasma concentration post-dose (C max , 6.65 vs 4.45 μg/ml) and the corresponding time (T max , 15 vs 10 min). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) of SHRs decreased to the lowest point by 34.04 mmHg and recovered by 23.39 mmHg after 15 and 30 min of administration at dose of 300 mg/kg BW EGCG, respectively, and it decreased again at 60 min and recovered at time 2 h. Total 35 upregulated and 18 downregulated miRNAs were identified compared to the control group ( p  < .01) after EGCG administration. Expression of hypertension-associated miRNA-126a-3p and miRNA-150-5p were further validated. In turn, their host gene and target genes were up-regulated and down-regulated, respectively. Significance Our results indicated that miRNA-150-5p might be involved in the antihypertensive effect of EGCG through SP1/AT1R pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High dielectric constant TiSiOx thin films are produced by reactive sputtering under different oxygen partial pressure ratio (P O2 ) from 15% to 30%. All the TiSiOx films show an excellent transmittance value of almost 95%. The TiSiOx film has a low leakage current density by optimizing oxygen partial pressure, and the leakage current density of TiSiOx film under P O2 of 20% is 4.88×10 −7 A/cm 2 at electrical field strength of 2 MV/cm. Meanwhile, their associated InGaZnO thin-film transistors (IGZO-TFTs) with different P O2 TiSiOx thin films as gate insulators are fabricated. IGZO-TFTs under P O2 of 20% shows an optimized electrical performance, and the threshold voltage, sub-threshold swing, field effect mobility and I on /I off ratio of this device are 2.22 V, 0.33 V/decade, 29.3 cm 2 /V s and 5.03×10 7 , respectively. Moreover, the density of states (DOS) is calculated by temperature-dependent field-effect measurement. The enhancements of electrical performance and temperature stability are attributed to better active/insulator interface and smaller DOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel cleaner production process of citric acid was proposed to completely solve the problem of wastewater management in citric acid industry. In the process, wastewater from citric acid fermentation was used to produce methane through anaerobic digestion and then the anaerobic digestion effluent was further treated with air stripping and electrodialysis before recycled as process water for the later citric acid fermentation. This proposed process was performed for 10 batches and the average citric acid production in recycling batches was 142.4 ± 2.1 g/L which was comparable to that with tap water (141.6 g/L). Anaerobic digestion was also efficient and stable in operation. The average chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate was 95.1 ± 1.2% and methane yield approached to 297.7 ± 19.8 mL/g TCOD removed . In conclusion, this novel process minimized the wastewater discharge and achieved the cleaner production in citric acid industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite decreasing rates of invasive pneumococcal disease caused by vaccine serotypes, the prevalence of invasive pneumococcal pneumonia in asthmatic patients remains high. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the susceptibility of the asthmatic airway to bacterial infections. In this study, we used a combined model of allergic airway inflammation and Streptococcus pneumoniae lung infection to investigate the association between persistent allergic inflammation in the airway and antibacterial host defenses against S. pneumoniae . When challenged with S. pneumoniae , allergic mice exhibited higher airway bacterial burdens, greater eosinophil infiltration, lower neutrophil infiltration, and more severe structural damage than non-allergic mice. In sensitized mice, S. pneumoniae infection elicited higher IL-4 but lower IFN-γ, IL-17 and defensin-β2 expression than in control mice. These results indicate that persistent allergic inflammation impaired airway host defense against S. pneumoniae is associated with the insufficient IL-17 responses. To elicit IL-17 induced-anti-bacterial immune responses, mice were intranasally immunized with rIL-17. Immunized mice exhibited fewer bacterial colonies in the respiratory tract and less severe lung pathology than unimmunized mice. rIL-17 contributed to airway host defense enhancement and innate immune response promotion, which was associated with increased IL-23, MIP-2 and defensin-β2 expression. Administration of exogenous IL-17 (2 μg/mouse) suppressed eosinophil-related immune responses. The results demonstrate IL-17 plays a key role in host defenses against bacterial infection in allergic airways and suggest that exogenous IL-17 administration promotes the anti-becterial immune responses and attenuates the existed allergic inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ϵ-Poly- l -lysine (ϵ-PL) has been widely used in the food industry as a biological preservative like Nissin and natamycin for many years. However, few studies have focused on the separation and purification of ϵ-PL from fermentation broth. In the present study, a successive process for ϵ-PL separation and purification from fermentation broth was proposed, and two key operation units of solid–liquid separation and ion-exchange chromatography were systematically investigated. Solid–liquid separation was successfully achieved by filtration for fermentation broth flocculated by the addition of 800 mg/L sodium polyacrylate at pH 1.5. The adsorption and desorption of ϵ-PL on Amberlite IRC-50 resin were optimized, and the optimal conditions are as follows: initial ϵ-PL concentration of 15 g/L, pH 8.5, and a flow rate of 1.5 bed volume (BV)/h for adsorption; 0.25 M HCl and a flow rate of 7.0 BV/h for desorption. On the basis of the above results and those from our previous studies, a successive process including flocculation, filtration, ultrafiltration, ion-exchange chromatography, and decoloration was employed to extract ϵ-PL from fermentation broth; 90.2% purity was attained with 75% recovery. This is the first report on the separation and purification of ϵ-PL from fermentation broth containing a high concentration of ϵ-PL, which will provide guidance for its industrial manufacture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Several inflammation-based scores have been demonstrated to have prognostic value in many types of malignant solid tumours. However, there are no studies elucidating which of these prognostic scores is more suitable in predicting outcomes in patients with gastric cancer undergoing surgery. We aimed to compare the prognostic value of inflammation-based prognostic scores (Glasgow prognostic score [GPS], neutrophil lymphocyte ratio [NLR], platelet lymphocyte ratio [PLR], prognostic nutritional index [PNI] and prognostic index [PI]) and TNM staging in patients undergoing resection of gastric cancer. Methods The inflammation-based prognostic scores were calculated for 207 patients who underwent resection of gastric cancer between June 2005 and September 2011 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University. Prognostic significance was analysed by univariate and multivariate analyses. Linear trend chi-square test, likelihood ratio chi-square test, and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) were performed to compare the prognostic value of the selected scores and TNM stage. Findings In multivariate analysis, GPS ( p = 0.013), NLR ( p = 0.027), PI ( p = 0.002), TNM stage ( p < 0.001), and degree of differentiation ( p < 0.013) were independent predictors of gastric cancer survival. GPS and TNM stage had comparable prognostic value and had higher linear trend chi-square value, likelihood ratio chi-square value, and larger area under the ROC curve, compared with other inflammation-based prognostic scores. Interpretation Our data indicate that preoperative GPS and TNM stage are superior predictors of cancer survival compared with NLP, PLR, PI, and PNI in patients of gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decolorization of indigo carmine (IC) dye with strain Bacillus sp. MZS10 and its mechanism was evaluated in the present study. The decolorization ratio of 87.31 ± 2.04% was achieved after cultivation of IC (0.1 g L −1 ) with Bacillus sp. MZS10 for 15 h in a 5 L stirred-tank fermenter. In the process of decolorization, metabolites derived from IC decolorization were analyzed by ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, respectively. Based on the analyses of metabolites, a novel mechanism of decolorization of IC was suggested as follows: the C C and C O bonds of IC were broken and –CH bonds were generated via a reductive process. Then an indoline derivative, indoline sulfonic acid was produced during biotransformation of IC. Decolorization efficiency and mechanism shown by the strain provides insight on its potential application for the bioremediation of IC and production of indoline derivative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the pollution problem of extraction wastewater in citric acid production, an integrated citric acid–methane production process was proposed. Extraction wastewater was treated through anaerobic digestion and the anaerobic digestion effluent (ADE) was recycled for the next batch of citric acid fermentation, thus eliminating wastewater discharge and reducing water consumption. Excessive Na + contained in ADE could significantly inhibit citric acid fermentation in recycling and was removed by electrodialysis in this paper. Electrodialysis performance was improved after pretreatment of ADE with air stripping and activated carbon adsorption to remove precipitable metal ions and pigments. Moreover, the concentrate water was recycled and mixed with feed to improve the water recovery rate above 95% in electrodialysis treatment, while the dilute water was collected for citric acid fermentation. The removal rate of Na + in ADE was above 95% and the citric acid production was even higher than that with tap water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]