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To investigate whether palmitic acid can be responsible for the induction of inflammatory processes, HaCaT keratinocytes were treated with palmitic acid at pathophysiologically relevant concentrations. Secretion levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), NF-κB nuclear translocation, NF-κB activation, Stat3 phosphorylation, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) mRNA and protein levels, as well as the cell proliferation ability were measured at the end of the treatment and after 24 hours of recovery. Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC, a selective chemical inhibitor of NF-κB) and goat anti-human IL-6 polyclonal neutralizing antibody were used to inhibit NF-κB activation and IL-6 production, respectively. Our results showed that palmitic acid induced an upregulation of IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β secretions, accompanied by NF-κB nuclear translocation and activation.Moreover, the effect of palmitic acidwas accompanied by PPARα activation and Stat3 phosphorylation. Palmitic acid-induced IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β productions were attenuated by NF-κB inhibitor PDTC. Palmitic acid was administered in amounts able to elicit significant hyperproliferation and can be attenuated by IL-6 blockage. These data demonstrate for the first time that palmitic acid can stimulate IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β productions in HaCaT keratinocytes and cell proliferation, thereby potentially contributing to acne inflammation and pilosebaceous duct hyperkeratinization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects and mechanisms of dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-induced expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (SREBP-1), and the synthesis and secretion of lipids, in HaCaT cells. HaCaT cells were treated with DHT and either the phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002 or the extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) inhibitor PD98059. Real time-PCR, Western blot, Oil Red staining and flow cytometry were employed to examine the mRNA and protein expressions of SREBP-1, the gene transcription of lipid synthesis, and lipid secretion in HaCaT cells. Findings: We found that DHT upregulated mRNA and protein expressions of SREBP-1. DHT also significantly upregulated the transcription of lipid synthesis-related genes and increased lipid secretion, which can be inhibited by the addition of LY294002. Conclusions: Collectively, these results indicate that DHT induces SREBP-1 expression and lipogenesis in HaCaT cells via activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt Pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: Evaluations of resources and environmental carrying capacities (GRECC) are the premise of land space planning and use control. Resource allocations and environmental capacity are the basic conditions that restrict development in a region. In this paper, based on a systematic review of China’s geological environment, groundwater resources, mineral resources, other geological resources and the environmental carrying capacity research status, the relationship between the natural resource environmental system and the socio-economic system is studied. Then a “coordination theory of resources and environmental carrying” is proposed. Next, on the basis of an evaluation experiment performed at different scales and for different types of regions, the technical methods for an evaluation of the geological resources and environmental carrying capacity at the regional (inter-provincial) and provincial scales in China are established for the first time. This paper presents a standardized method based on technical ideas, evaluation methods, and index systems for geological resource and environmental carrying capacity evaluation. Finally, an evaluation of the groundwater resource carrying capacity in China is used as an example for the demonstration of the groundwater resource background and use of state evaluation methods.

In an open-pit mine slope, rock mass has multiple joint structures and blasting operations have an obvious influence on its stability. Therefore, accurately predicting the blasting vibration is necessary to ensure slope stability. In this study, the blasting vibration signals monitored at a blasting site with different rock masses were used to investigate the attenuation characteristics of blasting vibration through the peak particle velocity (PPV), frequency characteristics, and energy distribution of the blasting vibration signals analyzed with the time-frequency processing method. The results demonstrated that the main vibration frequency of the blasting vibration of dolomite was wider than that of shale, and these main vibration frequencies occurred at 25 kHz and 14 kHz for dolomite and shale, respectively, at a distance of 50 m from the blast area to the vibration monitoring point. With an increase in the distance from 50 m to 200 m, the main vibration frequencies decreased to less than 5 Hz. With increasing joint degree, the attenuation rate of the vibration velocity and energy attenuation of the blasting vibration increase, indicating that the structural parameters of the rock mass (such as the number of joints) have a significant impact on the attenuation law of blasting vibration. Furthermore, a modified equation that can be used for predicting PPV was developed by considering the effect of the number of joints in the rock mass on the blasting vibration. For the same ground vibration readings, the correlation factor increased from 0.8 to 0.85 for the Nicholls-USBM equation and the modified equation, respectively. The PPV of blasting under different rock masses of the Baideng open-pit phosphorite mine was used to verify the modified equation. The results show that a modified equation can be used for predicting the PPV of blasting engineering in the Baideng phosphorite mine and that the prediction accuracy is acceptable.

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to evaluate the anti-photoaging effects of baicalin on Ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced photoaging in the dorsal skin of hairless mice and premature senescence in human dermal fibroblasts. METHODS: We established in vivo and in vitro photoaging models by repeated exposures to UVB irradiation. By HE staining, masson staining, immunohistostaing and real-time RT-PCR, we analyzed epidermal thickness, collagen expression and the mRNA and protein levels of type I collagen, type III collagen, interstitial collagenase (MMP-1 and MMP-3) in UVB exposed dorsal mice skin. The aging condition in human dermal fibroblasts was determined by senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) staining. Cell viability was determined using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8). The G1 phase cell growth arrest was analyzed by flow cytometry. The senescence-related protein levels of p16INK-4a, p21WAF-1, and p53 and protein levels of phosphorylated histone H2AX were estimated by Western blotting. RESULTS: Topically application of baicalin treatment reduced UVB-induced epidermal thickening of mouse skin and also result in an increase in the production of collagen I and III, and a decrease in the expression of MMP-1 and MMP-3. Compared with the UVB-irradiated group, we found that the irradiated fibroblasts additionally treated with baicalin demonstrated a decrease in the expression of SA-β-gal, a increase in the cell viability, a decrease in the G1 phase cell proportion, a downregulation in the level of senescence-associated and γ-H2AX proteins. However, Baicalin had no difference in the normal fibroblasts without UVB irradiation and long-term Baicalin incubation of UVB-SIPS fibroblasts gave no effects on the cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these results suggest that baicalin significantly antagonizes photoaging induced by UVB in vivo and in vitro, indicating the potential of baicalin application for anti-photoaging treatment.