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As the area of origin may influence the polysaccharide properties of plants, we aimed to comprehensively compare composition of polysaccharides from Cassia occidentalis Linn. (a "famine food") grown in different regions in China. We collected Cassia occidentalis Linn. specimens form Yunnan and Shandong and investigated previously unreported structural and functional differences among their purified fractions. Crude polysaccharide yields obtained from C. occidentalis from Yunnan (11.07 ± 1.09%) and Shandong (3.15 ± 0.45%) were significantly different (P < 0.05). No compositional differences were observed between the ration of purified fractions obtained via an ion exchange column, indicating that the polysaccharides obtained from both regions were similar in composition. However, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, High-performance liquid chromatography, Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and atomic force microscope images revealed several structural differences between the purified polysaccharides obtained from Yunnan and Shandong. Evaluation of antioxidant abilities using the radical scavenging method and the H2O2-induced cell oxidative damage model also revealed structural differences. The study illustrated that the effects exerted by environmental abiotic factors on the composition of these plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sarcopenia is associated with cognitive impairment in older adults. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Aim: To explore the mediating role of nutritional status in the relationship between sarcopenia and cognitive impairment. Methods: Three thousand eight hundred and ten participants (mean age 61.94 ± 8.01 years) from the West China Health and Aging Trend (WCHAT) study were included. We defined sarcopenia using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) 2019 criteria. Cognitive status and nutritional status were measured using the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) and the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF). Relationships between sarcopenia, nutritional status, and cognitive function were explored using multiple linear regression. Two mediation models were generated to examine whether nutritional status mediates the association between sarcopenia and cognitive function using PROCESS macro version 3.5. Results: The study involved 3147 (82.6%) non-sarcopenic, 387 (10.2%) sarcopenic, and 276 (7.2%) severely sarcopenic individuals. In mediation model 1, sarcopenia (β = 0.208, 95% CI 0.072 to 0.344, P = 0.0028) was significantly associated with cognitive impairment, and nutritional status mediated this association (indirect effect = 0.162, bootstrap 95% CI 0.116 to 0.212). Mediation model 2 indicated that nutritional status exhibited a full mediating effect regarding the association between sarcopenia and cognitive impairment (indirect effect = 0.131, bootstrap 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.188; direct effect = 0.046, bootstrap 95% CI − 0.115 to 0.21) and a partial mediating effect regarding the association between severe sarcopenia and cognitive impairment (indirect effect = 0.21, bootstrap 95% CI: 0.143 to 0.283; direct effect = 0.476, bootstrap 95% CI: 0.234–0.724). Conclusions: The relationship between sarcopenia and cognitive impairment was significantly mediated by nutritional status. Early nutritional interventions may prevent cognitive decline in sarcopenic older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulforaphane (SFN) extracted from broccoli sprout has previously been investigated for its potential properties in cancers, however, the underlying mechanisms of the anticancer activity of SFN remain not fully understood. In the present study, we investigate the effects of SFN on cell proliferation, cell cycle, cell apoptosis, and also the expression of several cell cycle and apoptosis-related genes by MTT assay, flow cytometry and western blot analysis in gastric cancer (GC) cells. The results showed that SFN could impair the colony-forming ability in BGC-823 and MGC-803 cell lines compared with the control. In addition, SFN significantly suppressed cell proliferation by arresting the cell cycle at the S phase and enhancing cell apoptosis in GC cells in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot results showed that SFN treatment significantly increased the expression levels of p53, p21 and decreased CDK2 expression, which directly regulated the S phase transition. The Bax and cleaved-caspase-3 genes involved in apoptosis executive functions were significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner in BGC-823 and MGC-803 cells. These results suggested that SFN-induced S phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis through p53-dependent manner in GC cells, which suggested that SFN has a potential therapeutic application in the treatment and prevention of GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Sarcopenia is increasingly recognized as an independent risk factor for poor outcomes in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and it is a potentially modifiable factor. The purpose of the present systematic review and meta-analysis is to summarize and integrate current evidence in this field.Methods: We searched EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane DSR through Ovid and PubMed websites to identify relevant studies. Studies evaluated sarcopenia before HSCT and reported associations between sarcopenia and post-transplant outcomes were included. Two authors independently applied eligibility criteria, assessed quality, and extracted data. Odds ratio (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled to examine the association between sarcopenia and post-transplant outcomes by using the review manager 5.3 software.Results: Seven retrospective cohort studies met our inclusion criteria. The overall quality of studies was low to moderate. Sarcopenia was associated with higher non-relapse mortality [odds ratio (OR) 1.97; 95% CI 1.45, 2.68; P < 0.0001; I2 = 0%] and shorter overall survival [odds ratio (OR) 0.44; 95% CI 0.26, 0.75; P = 0.002; I2 = 65%] in patients undergoing HSCT.Conclusions: Clinicians could use sarcopenia to balance the risks and benefits of transplantation as early as possible; in addition, interventions can be used to prevent sarcopenia and improve physical function and quality of life. Well-designed, prospective, and large-scale clinical studies are needed to consolidate the evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The response of organisms to nanoplastic exposure has gradually received the attention. Nevertheless, the role of neurons in response to nanoplastic exposure and the underlying mechanism are still largely unclear. We here examined the role of neuronal JNK MAPK signaling in response to low-dose of polystyrene (100 nm) in Caenorhabditis elegans. Results: Exposure to nanopolystyrene in the range of μg/L could increase the expression of genes (jkk-1, mek-1, and jnk-1) encoding JNK MAPK signaling pathway. Meanwhile, RNAi knockdown of any of these genes induced a susceptibility to nanopolystyrene toxicity. In the neurons, SNB-1/synaptobrevin was identified as the downstream target of JNK-1/JNK, suggesting the alteration in neurotransmitter signals in nanopolystyrene-exposed nematodes. In nanopolystyrene-exposed nematodes, JNK-1 modulated TBH-1-mediated octopamine signal and CAT-2-mediated dopamine signal. TBH-1 and CAT-2 further regulated the response to nanopolystyrene by affecting the function of corresponding intestinal octopamine receptors (SER-6 and OCTR-1) and intestinal dopamine receptor (DOP-1). In the intestine, DOP-1 regulated the response to nanopolystyrene by activating the downstream signaling cascade in p38 MAPK signaling pathway. Conclusions: Exposure to low-dose of nanopolystyrene could induce the response of neuronal JNK MAPK signaling pathway in nematodes. Our data further highlight the crucial role of neuronal JNK MAPK signaling-activated alteration in octopamine and dopamine signals in regulating the response to nanopolystyrene in organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This systematic review was conducted to explore the associations between sarcopenia, hospitalization and length of stay in the old people.Methods: Pubmed, Embase, Medline and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trails from January 2009 to October 2017 were searched in this review. We included prospective studies, which had the clear definition of sarcopenia and reported the hospitalization or length of stay as one of outcomes. Adjusted Odd ratios (aORs), hazard ratios (aHRs) or relative risks (aRRs) extracted from the studies were combined to synthesize pooled effect measures. Heterogeneity, and methodological quality were assessed using I² statistic and Newcastle-Ottawa scale, respectively.Results: Nine studies were included in this review. Of these, 8 studies with 4174 individuals reported results for hospitalization, 3 studies involving 6276 old people in the community reported results for length of stay. Sarcopenia was significantly associated with future hospitalization (RR 1.40, 95% CI 1.04-1.89, p = 0.029; data from 8 studies). A subgroup analysis showed the associations between sarcopenia and readmission in hospitalized old patients that were statistically significant (RR 1.75, 95% CI 1.01-3.03, p = 0.044; data from 8 studies). However, this association were not found in the community-dwelling older subjects (RR 1.08, 95% CI 0.74-1.57, p = 0.688; data from 8 studies), uncertain in nursing home residents. The association of sarcopenia and length of stay was not statistically significant (OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.90-1.63, p = 0.20; data from 8 studies) in community-dwelling residents.Conclusions: This systematic review demonstrates that sarcopenia is a significant predictor of readmission in old inpatients, but not associated with hospitalization or length of stay in community-dwelling old adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method was established for the simultaneous determination of 116 pesticide residues in Notoginseng Radix et Rhizome with a combination of the modified QuEChERS method and GC-MS/MS. The sample was extracted with acetonitrile, cleaned up by primary-secondary amine and octadecyl-modified silica (C18) sorbents and determined by GC-MS/MS in multireaction monitoring mode. Matrix-matched calibration coupled with internal standard method was applied to compensate for the matrix effect and to quantify the pesticides. The results of all the 116 pesticides showed good linearity in the respective linear range with correlation coefficients (r2) > 0.99. The method limits of quantification were between 0.01 and 0.05 mg kg−1. The recoveries were between 64.3 and 119.4%, with RSD values typically lower than 18.3% at three spiked levels of 0.05, 0.10 and 0.20 mg kg−1. The validated methodology is easy, fast, highly accurate, reliable and sensitive for monitoring and quantification of the 116 pesticide residues in Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma. In 180 batches of real samples, 11 pesticides were detected and among these quintozene and cyfluthrin were in excess of the standard of European Union maximum residue level for herbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A specific and accurate high-performance liquid chromatographic method for analysis of cinnamic acid (CA) and paeonol (PN) in rat plasma has been developed and validated. Plasma samples were pretreated by protein precipitation with methanol, and the supernatant was injected for reversed-phase separation on a C18 column with acetonitrile–0.1% phosphoric acid 24:76 ( v/ v) as mobile phase at a flow-rate of 1.0 mL min−1. Phenylbutyric acid was used as the internal standard. Good linear relationships were obtained between response and concentration in the range 0.130–52.0 μg mL−1 ( r = 0.9980) and 0.1785–71.4 μg mL−1 ( r = 0.9950) for CA and PN, respectively. Intra-day and inter-day assay precision (RSD, n = 6) at three concentrations was not above 15.1% for either CA and PN, and accuracy was from 94.3 to 104.7% and from 103.3 to 113.1% for CA and PN, respectively. Mean recovery of CA and PN from plasma samples was 87.5 and 86.8%, respectively, and recovery of the internal standard at a concentration of 1.00 mg mL−1 was 88.5%. Results from a stability study suggested CA and PN were stable under the experimental conditions used. Finally, the validated method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of CA and PN in rats after intragastric administration of Guizhi–Fuling capsule. The results obtained would be very useful for evaluation of the clinical efficacy of GFC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new benzoic acid, 2-(2-hydroxypropanamido) benzoic acid ( 1), along with three known compounds, cyclo-(Pro-Leu), cyclo-(4-hydroxyl-Pro-Phe), and (22E,24R)-ergosta-5,7,22-triene-3β-ol, were isolated from the fermentation broth of Penicillium chrysogenum. The structure of compound 1 was established by comprehensive analysis of the spectral data, especially 2D NMR spectra. Compound 1 showed remarkable anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities when administered at 100 mg/kg, but it exhibited no ulcerogenic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, some microRNAs (miRNAs) could be dysregulated by multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), suggesting their involvement in regulating the response of nematodes to MWCNTs. Among these dysregulated miRNAs induced by MWCNT exposure, prolonged exposure to MWCNTs increased mir-35 expression. mir-35 further acted in the intestine to regulate the response to MWCNTs. In the intestine, a transcription factor MAB-3 was identified as its target in regulating the response to MWCNTs. Moreover, during the control of response to MWCNTs, MAB-3 acted upstream of DAF-16, a fork head transcriptional factor in insulin signaling pathway. Therefore, MWCNTs exposure potentially dysregulates intestinal mir-35 and its direct target MAB-3, which may activate a protective intestinal response of nematodes against the MWCNTs toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is safe and useful for food and feed fermentation. We employed Caenorhabditis elegans to investigate the possible beneficial effect of LAB (Lactobacillus bulgaricus) pretreatment against toxicity of graphene oxide (GO) and the underlying mechanisms. LAB prevented GO toxicity on the functions of both primary and secondary targeted organs in wild-type nematodes. LAB blocked translocation of GO into secondary targeted organs through intestinal barrier by maintaining normal intestinal permeability in wild-type nematodes. Moreover, LAB prevented GO damage on the functions of both primary and secondary targeted organs in exposed nematodes with mutations of susceptible genes (sod-2, sod-3, gas-1, and aak-2) to GO toxicity by sustaining normal intestinal permeability. LAB also sustained the normal defecation behavior in both wild-type nematodes and nematodes with mutations of susceptible genes. Therefore, the beneficial role of LAB against GO toxicity under different genetic backgrounds may be due to the combinational effects on intestinal permeability and defecation behavior. Moreover, the beneficial effects of LAB against GO toxicity was dependent on the function of ACS-22, homologous to mammalian FATP4 to mammalian FATP4. Our study provides highlight on establishment of pharmacological strategy to protect intestinal barrier from toxicity of GO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]