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Abstract Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) is widely used in several functional foods at present. Ginsenosides, is the most crucial bioactive constituents in ginseng whose antitumor activity have been widely reported. In this study, the effect of ginseng glucosyl oleanolate (GGO) produced from ginsenoside Ro through enzymatic transformation, on cervical cancer was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. GGO significantly inhibited the viability and colony forming ability of HeLa cells, and blocked the cell cycle in G0/G1 phase, which showed its ability to inhibit the proliferation of HeLa cells. GGO exhibited anti-angiogenesis effect in HUVECs, chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and Matrigel plugs model. These effects were related to interference with the paracrine axis of VEGF/VEGFR2 and blockage of the downstream PI3K/AKT/HIF-1α signaling pathway of the autocrine axis. The dual inhibitory effects of GGO were also exhibited in immunocompromised mice undergoing heterograft and suppressed tumor growth without any side effects. These findings provide a theoretical basis for further development of GGO as a functional food with anti-tumor properties.

Trehalose (TRE) was used to improve the gastrointestinal tolerance of Lactobacillus plantarum embedded with whey protein concentrate/pullulan (WPC/PUL) hydrogel and the embedded L. plantarum was applied to juice. The study indicated that 5% TRE significantly increased the viable counts of L. plantarum embedded in WPC/PUL hydrogel from (8.83 ± 0.03) to (9.14 ± 0.04) (lg (CFU/g)) in simulated gastric juice (SGJ) and from (9.13 ± 0.04) to (9.38 ± 0.04) (lg (CFU/g)) in simulated intestinal juice, respectively. The addition of TRE improved the glass transition temperature of WPC/PUL hydrogel and decreased the hardness and its solubility in SGJ, which may be responsible for the improved protection of WPC/PUL hydrogels on L. plantarum. In addition, TRE increased the viable counts of L. plantarum in WPC/PUL probiotic microcapsule juice at low pH and high temperature during storage.

Electrochemical synthesis serves as a green and efficient method with great application potential. However, it has not been extensively applied in the synthesis of energetic materials. Nitrogen-rich heterocyclic compounds, as a new generation of energetic materials, enjoy advantages such as eco-friendliness, high energy output, and excellent safety performance. This study reports the electrochemical cathodic synthesis of copper nitrotriazole [Cu(NTz)2] using copper chloride and 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazole as a reaction substrate and triethylamine as a deprotonation agent. The obtained Cu(NTz)2 comprises uniform spherical particles of nano lamellae. As the dosage of triethylamine increased from 50 μL to 150 μL, Cu(NTz)2 gradually grew into compact solid spherical particles, significantly increasing the energy output. Notably, the heat release increased from 711 J g−1 to 1301 J g−1, accompanied by a significant positive elevation of ignition performance and peak combustion pressure in the process of confined combustion. This greatly boosted the energetic performance of Cu(NTz)2. Moreover, Cu(NTz)2 demonstrates insensitivity to electrostatic discharge (E50＞225 mJ) and friction (FS＞360 N), suggesting excellent safety performance. Owing to its outstanding energetic and safety performance, Cu(NTz)2 boasts great potential for application as pyrotechnic compositions, including military gas-producing and incendiary agents. Moreover, it has been corroborated that Cu(NTz)2 can be applied as a micro ignitor.

Abstract Immune disorders have become one of the public health problems and imposes a serious economic and social burden worldwide. Ginsenosides, the main active constituents of ginseng, are regarded as a novel supplementary strategy for preventing and improving immune disorders and related diseases. This review summarized the recent research progress of ginsenosides in immunomodulation and proposed future directions to promote the development and application of ginsenosides. After critically reviewing the immunomodulatory potential of ginsenosides both in vitro and in vivo and even in clinical data of humans, we provided a perspective that ginsenosides regulated the immune system through activation of immune cells, cytokines, and signaling pathways such as MAPK, PI3K/Akt, STAT, and AMPK, as well as positively affected immune organs, gut flora structure, and systemic inflammatory responses. However, the evidence for the safety and efficacy of ginsenosides is insufficient, and the immune pathways of ginsenosides remain incompletely characterized. We believe that this review will provide a valuable reference for further research on ginsenosides as dietary supplements with immunomodulatory effects.

Objective: To examine the effect of icariin plus curcumol on prostate cancer cells PC3 and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Methods: We employed the Cell Counting Kit 8 assay and colony formation assay to assess cell viability and proliferation. Autophagy expression was analyzed using monodansylcadaverine staining. Immunofluorescence and Western blot analyses were used to evaluate protein expressions related to autophagy, pyroptosis, and the mTOR pathway. Cellular damage was examined using the lactate dehydrogenase assay. Moreover, cathepsin B and NLRP3 were detected by co-immunoprecipitation. Results: Icariin plus curcumol led to a decrease in PC3 cell proliferation and an enhancement of autophagy. The levels of LC3-II/LC3-I and beclin-1 were increased, while the levels of p62 and mTOR were decreased after treatment with icariin plus curcumol. These changes were reversed upon overexpression of mTOR. Furthermore, 3-methyladenine resulted in a decrease in inflammatory cytokines, pyroptosis-related protein levels, and lactate dehydrogenase concentration, compared to the icariin plus curcumol group. Inhibiting cathepsin B reversed the regulatory effects of icariin plus curcumol. Conclusions: Icariin plus curcumol demonstrates great potential as a therapeutic agent for castration-resistant prostate cancer by enhancing autophagy via the mTOR pathway and promoting pyroptosis mediated by cathepsin B. These findings provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the therapeutic potential of icariin and curcumol for prostate cancer treatment.

In this paper, we mainly consider the parametric analysis of the disturbance of the flexible photovoltaic (PV) support structure under two kinds of wind loads, namely, mean wind load and fluctuating wind load, to reduce the wind-induced damage of the flexible PV support structure and improve its safety and durability. The wind speed time history was simulated by the response spectrum method, and the 15.6 m flexible PV support was analyzed comprehensively. The influence of critical parameters, such as panel inclination angle, wind direction angle, and template gap, on the wind-induced response of the flexible PV support was compared and analyzed under two wind loads. The results showed that the panel inclination angle positively correlated with the structural displacement, while the template gap was negatively correlated with the structural displacement. Furthermore, structural displacements were observed to be higher at 0° and 180° wind direction angles compared to those at 45° and 135° angles. Compared with other horizontal force-bearing structures, the horizontal force-bearing structure of inclined steel columns had more robust safety, construction convenience, and economy. It is worth noting that the fluctuating wind load was much smaller than the mean wind load, but its impact on the flexible PV support structure cannot be ignored.

This study evaluated the effect of heat treatment on the conversion of ginsenoside and the ameliorative effect of heat-treated total ginsenoside (HG) from fresh ginseng on cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced liver injury. LC-MS analysis revealed that the content of rare ginsenosides increased markedly after heat treatment. HG significantly attenuated CTX-induced hepatic histopathological injury in mice. Western blotting analysis showed that untreated total ginsenoside (UG) and HG regulated the Nrf2/HO-1 and TLR4/MAPK pathways. Importantly, these results may be relevant to the modulation of the intestinal flora. UG and HG significantly increased the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-producing bacteria Lactobacillus and reduced the LPS-producing bacteria Bacteroides and Parabacteroides. These changes in intestinal flora affected the levels of TNF-α, LPS and SCFAs. In short, UG and HG alleviated CTX-induced liver injury by regulating the intestinal flora and the LPS-TLR4-MAPK pathway, and HG was more effective. HG has the potential to be a functional food that can alleviate chemical liver injury.

Ginseng is an important food and medicine homologous plant, which has various physiological functions of antitumor, antiinflammatory, antifatigue and improving immunity. Ginsenosides are the most important active components in ginseng, in vivo and in vitro experiments have confirmed that ginsenosides have significant antitumor activity, among which ginsenoside Rg3 has been used as a monomer drug for adjuvant therapy of tumor patients. Studies have shown that the anti-tumor activity of ginsenosides is achieved through different pathways, including inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, inducing tumor cell apoptosis, inhibiting tumor cell invasion and metastasis, blocking tumor angiogenesis, enhancing organism immune system, and resisting oxidation stress, and synergizing with chemotherapy drugs. This article reviews the antitumor action pathways of ginsenosides, provides a theoretical basis for the development of ginseng antitumor functional foods.

The vehicle suspension system is not only used to consume the vibration energy transmitted from the ground to the vehicle body but also provides good handling stability for the vehicle. This can be a challenging tradeoff, especially for vehicles with a high center of gravity and heavy loads, such as trucks and SUVs. These vehicles are prone to large load deviations during emergency steering, causing the vehicle to roll over. The emergence of a hydraulically-interconnected suspension (HIS) could effectively maintain the vehicle body’s stability. As a unique hydropneumatic suspension, the HIS system has prominent nonlinear damping characteristics and can decouple the bounce motion and roll motion of the vehicle. This increases the vehicle’s roll stiffness without affecting the vertical rigidity of the vehicle, thereby substantially reducing the possibility of rollover accidents. This paper introduces a novel energy-harvesting hydraulically-interconnected suspension (EH-HIS), which has the dynamic characteristics of the HIS and can even harvest the vibration energy that is traditionally dissipated into heat using the oil shock absorbers. Working principles of bounce motion, roll motion, and pitch motion of the EH-HIS system have been analyzed. A mathematical model of the system was established based on the pressure drop principle and validated by a bench test. Damping characteristics and the energy harvesting capability are studied via simulations. Results show that the EH-HIS has considerable asymmetric and tunable damping characteristics that can meet the allowable range of most passenger vehicles. When the external resistance increases from 5 to 25 \begin{document}$ \mathrm{\Omega } $\end{document}, the corresponding equivalent damping coefficient decreases from 7558 to 3134 N·s·m−1. The energy harvesting capability analysis shows that maximum energy harvesting power is achieved when the external resistance is equal to the internal resistance. Furthermore, the average harvesting power can reach 875.9 W under the excitation of 2 Hz (frequency) 30 mm (amplitude).

BackgroundRetroperitoneal sarcomas (RPSs) located in the lower abdominal quadrants involving iliac vessels are difficult to manage. This study introduced a 5-step method for en bloc resection with graft interposition using the abdominoinguinal approach and evaluated its efficacy and safety.MethodsData of 24 consecutive patients who met the inclusion criteria from 272 patients with RPS who underwent surgical treatment between April 2015 and April 2022 were retrospectively collected and analyzed.ResultsThe patients underwent left- or right-sided abdominoinguinal incision. In all patients, the abdominoinguinal approach provided good exposure, and complete resection was achieved. Iliac artery+vein, vein, and artery resection and replacement by graft were performed in 70.8%, 25.0%, and 4.2% of patients, respectively. Additional resected organs mainly included the colon, ureter, bladder, kidney, and abdominal wall. The median number of organs resected was 5. In 37.5% of patients, reconstruction of the lower abdominal wall and inguinal ligament was performed using a mesh. Venous graft thrombosis occurred in 21.7% of patients, while no patient had pulmonary embolism or arterial occlusion. Major complications occurred in 20.8% of patients, and no 30-day mortality was observed. The estimated 5-year local recurrence and distant metastasis rates were 54.4% and 22.1%, respectively, with a median recurrence-free survival of 27 months.ConclusionsEn bloc resection of RPS involving iliac vessels with graft interposition using the abdominoinguinal approach is feasible and advantageous. Good complete resection rate and safety can be achieved. The long-term survival benefit of this surgical approach should be verified by further large-scale prospective controlled studies.

Terpenoids such as ginsenosides are the most important phytochemicals and functional components in ginseng. Commercial sterilizing with high temperature and high pressure is also one of the common methods of ginseng food processing. However, the changes of terpenoids in fresh ginsengs commercially sterilized are unclear. In this study, fresh ginseng pulp (FGP) was commercially sterilized at 121℃ for 30 min, and terpenoid compounds were analyzed by widely targeted metabolomics based on UPLC-ESI-MS/MS system. The commercial sterilization induced the changes of 88 terpenoid compounds including 30 types of ginsenosides, and many minor ginsenoside Rh4, Rg6, Rk2, F4, Rs3, Rk3, Rk1, Rg5, Rg3, Rg4 were remarkably increased in fresh ginseng pulp. Importantly, the ginsenoside ST3 was detected and F4, Rg3, and Rg5 were also found in fresh ginseng pulp. Commercial sterilizing at 121℃ for 30 min will remarkably affect the species and number of ginsenosides in ginseng food.

BackgroundPeritoneal sarcomatosis (PS) could occur in patients with retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPS). This study aimed to expand the understanding of PS on its characteristics and prognostic role, and develop a nomogram to predict its occurrence preoperatively.MethodsData of 211 consecutive patients with RPS who underwent surgical treatment between 2011 and 2019 was retrospectively reviewed. First, the clinicopathological characteristics of PS were summarized and analyzed. Second, the disease-specific survival (DSS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) of patients were analyzed to evaluate the prognostic role of PS. Third, preoperative imaging, nearly the only way to detect PS preoperatively, was combined with other screened risk factors to develop a nomogram. The performance of the nomogram was assessed.ResultsAmong the 211 patients, 49 (23.2%) patients had PS with an incidence of 13.0% in the primary patients and 35.4% in the recurrent patients. The highest incidence of PS occurred in dedifferentiated liposarcoma (25.3%) and undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (25.0%). The diagnostic sensitivity of the preoperative imaging was 71.4% and its specificity was 92.6%. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) was elevated in patients with PS (P

The measurement precision of the static atomic gravimetry is limited by white Gaussian noise in short term, which costs previous works an inevitable integration to reach the precision demanded. Here, we propose a statistical model based on the quantum projection noise and apply the associated Kalman filter with the waveform estimation in static atomic gravimetry. With the white Gaussian noise significantly removed by the Kalman-filter formalism, the measurement noise of the gravimetry is reshaped in short term and shows τ1/2 feature that corresponds to a random walk. During 200 h of static measurement of gravity, the atomic gravimeter using Kalman filter demonstrates a sensitivity as good as 0.6 nms2/s and highlights a precision of 1.7 nms2 at the measuring time of a single sample. The measurement noise achieved is also lower than the quantum projection limit below ∼30 s.

The outcomes of patients with primary retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) are significantly superior to those with recurrence. En bloc resection of tumor and adjacent organs is recommended in primary RPS. However, whether en bloc resection of tumor and adjacent organs can benefit recurrent patients or some recurrent patients is unclear. We compared the outcomes of patients with primary RPS, first recurrence (RPS-Rec1), and ≥2 recurrences (≥RPS-Rec2) to evaluate the value and criteria for en bloc resection of tumor and adjacent organs in recurrent cases. We evaluated the safety of en bloc resection of tumor and adjacent organs by assessing operation time, blood loss volume, postoperative morbidities (POM), and efficacy by comparing local recurrence and peritoneal metastasis (LR-PM), distant metastasis, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). A total of 101, 47, and 30 patients with primary RPS, RPS-Rec1, and ≥RPS-Rec2 were included, respectively. Recurrent RPS invaded more adjacent organs and surrounding fat tissue than primary RPS. The operation time, amount of blood loss, incidence of grade III–V POM, LR-PM rate, PFS, and OS in the RPS-Rec1 group were similar to those of the primary group, both of which were significantly superior to those of the ≥RPS-Rec2 group. Macroscopically incomplete resection and high-grade RPS rather than first recurrence were independent risk factors for LR-PM, PFS, and OS. In conclusion, the safety and efficacy of en bloc resection of tumor and adjacent organs in RPS-Rec1 were comparable with those in primary RPS but significantly superior to those of ≥RPS-Rec2. For RPS-Rec1, comparable outcomes to patients with primary RPS can be achieved, particularly in those in whom a macroscopically complete resection is achieved.

In this review, the evolution of high strain Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-based lead-free piezoceramics and their multilayer actuators has been explored. First, in terms of Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-based ceramic materials, the origin of high strain, the typical chemical modification methods of obtaining large strain and extrinsic factors affecting the large strain are discussed. Then it briefly summarizes the problems existing in Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-based ceramics for multilayer actuator applications. Strategies to optimize strain performance by means of microstructure control and phase structure design are also discussed. Thereafter, in terms of multilayer actuator, we describe its characteristics, applications and preparation process systematically, as well as the recent development of Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3-based multilayer actuator. At last, perspectives on directions of following work and promising fields for the applications of the materials and their devices are presented.

The provision and utilization of grassland resources connect grassland ecosystems and pastoral society. Revealing the mechanism behind the forage supply–demand relationship and balancing forage supply and demand is essential in pastoral socio-ecological systems. Taking Altay Prefecture as the case study, this study quantified the dynamics of natural forage supply, artificial supplemental forage, and forage demand. The ratio of forage supply to demand was calculated in the traditional grazing scenario and the grazing prohibition and supplemental feeding scenario. The results showed that during 2001–2018, the forage supplied by natural grasslands fluctuated, with the highest and lowest values in 2013 and 2008, respectively. The artificial supplemental forage increased at a higher rate in 2011–2018 than in 2001–2010. The overall trend of forage demand was upward, at approximately 2.98 × 104 t/a. The ratio of forage supply to demand decreased in the traditional scenario with an average value of 0.4717 and increased in the grazing prohibition and supplemental feeding scenario with an average value of 0.8289. The influencing factors were analyzed from the perspective of the interactions between the socio-ecological system elements, and the forage supply–demand relationships were conceptualized based on the social–ecological system framework. This study concludes that natural grasslands cannot entirely meet the increasing forage demand without artificial supplemental forage. The increasing artificial supplemental forage has promoted a balance between forage supply and demand, indicating an optimized grassland utilization pattern. The factors that affect forage supply–demand relationships are interrelated, and a holistic perspective should be adopted when implementing management measures.

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KM1 was screened from natural fermented products, which had probiotic properties and antioxidant function. The survival rate of L. plantarum KM1 was 78.26% at 5 mM H2O2. In this study, the antioxidant mechanism of L. plantarum KM1 was deeply analyzed by using the proteomics method. The results demonstrated that a total of 112 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were screened, of which, 31 DEPs were upregulated and 81 were downregulated. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis indicated that DEPs participated in various metabolic pathways such as pyruvate metabolism, carbon metabolism, trichloroacetic acid cycle, amino acid metabolism, and microbial metabolism in diverse environments. These metabolic pathways were related to oxidative stress caused by H2O2 in L. plantarum KM1. Therefore, the antioxidant mechanism of L. plantarum KM1 under H2O2 stress provided a theoretical basis for its use as a potential natural antioxidant.

In this study, calibrated hot box and finite element simulation methods were used to study the influence of a slotted web on the thermal performance of a lightweight steel stud composite wall. By comparing the results from the simulations and experiments, the accuracy of the finite element method was verified; this method was then used for parameter analyses. The results showed that the wall’s thermal transfer coefficient is inversely proportional to increases in the length of the slot and height of the stud web, leading to improvements in the thermal insulation effect; vice versa, the wall thermal transfer coefficient increases when the slot transverse spacing and stud thickness increase, and the insulation effect correspondingly worsens. The stud spacing influences the insulation performance of the wall by changing the proportion of studs within a certain wall. The greater the proportion of studs, the greater the stud thermal bridging, the faster the thermal loss, and the worse the insulation effect of the wall. In practice, the height of the stud web can be set as required. Preferably, for practical applications, the number of rows of slots is 5–7, the length of the slots is 70–80 mm, the transverse distance of the slots is 6–8 mm, the thickness of each stud is 1 or 1.2 mm, and the distance of each stud is 600 mm.