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Immunotherapy is effective in the treatment of melanoma due to its immunogenicity. In recent years, researchers have identified LTP is rich in active substances that can induce apoptosis in tumor cells and trigger an immune response. However, it is unclear how LTP works to antitumor by enhancing immune cell function. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of direct and indirect LTP treatments on the quantity and function of Treg cells and CD8+ T cells in B16-F10 melanoma-bearing mice and their associated mechanisms. The results revealed that both direct and indirect LTP treatments were effective at inhibiting tumor growth and extending the survival of B16-F10 melanoma-bearing mice. In addition, both direct and indirect LTP treatments reduced the number of Treg cells and improved the immune function of CD8+ T cells in the spleen and tumor. Nevertheless, the indirect LTP treatment proved to be more effective than the LTP direct treatment. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that direct LTP treatment might affect the quantity and function of Treg cells and CD8+ T cells by modulating cytokine level changes. However, indirect LTP treatment might have a greater tumor immunotherapeutic potential by inhibiting the activation of key protein molecules in the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway and regulating cytokine level changes. In conclusion, this study reveals that LTP exerts an anti-melanoma effect by regulating the level and function of Treg cells and CD8+ T cells. This study is expected to provide new ideas for LTP anti-tumor immunotherapy.

Mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (MesPGN) is a common renal disease that lacks effective drug intervention. Aconiti Lateralis Radix (Fuzi), a natural Chinese medical herb, is found with significant therapeutic effects on various diseases in the clinic. However, its effects on MesPGN have not been reported. This study is aimed to discuss the therapeutic effects of the aqueous extract of Aconiti Lateralis Radix (ALR) and the polysaccharides of Aconiti Lateralis Radix (PALR) on MesPGN as well as the underlying mechanism. In this study, we, firstly, studied the anti-MesPGN mechanism of ALR and PALR. ALR and PALR inhibit the proliferation of the mesangial cells through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, induce the G0/G1 phase of block and apoptosis, inhibit the activity of Cyclin E and CDK2, increase the expression of Bax, cleaved caspase-8/caspase-8, and cleaved caspase-3/caspase-3 proteins, and effectively inhibit the growth of the mesangial cells. Overall, our data suggest that ALR and PALR may be potential candidates for MesPGN and that PALR is more effective than ALR.

The present study compared Chinese emerging adults and adults regarding the association between contamination fear, posttraumatic stress disorder post-COVID-19 and psychiatric comorbidity after controlling for demographic and trauma exposure variables. 1089 Chinese civilians (M = 382; F = 707) with a mean age of 26 years (M = 26.36, SD = 8.58) were recruited from different provinces in China via an online survey posted on mainstream Chinese social networking platforms. They completed a demographic page with questions on trauma exposure, the Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 and the General Health Questionnaire-28. Results showed that 12.7%, 68.7% and 18.6% met criteria for full, partial and no PTSD, respectively. Emerging adults reported significantly lower levels of symptoms of re-experiencing, avoidance, somatic problems, anxiety and fear of contamination than adults. In both emerging adults and adults, contamination fear was correlated with PTSD and psychiatric comorbidity. High educational attainment was significantly correlated with psychiatric comorbidity in emerging adults, but with PTSD in adults. Length of quarantine was correlated with psychiatric comorbidity only in adults. In conclusion, both emerging adults and adults developed varying levels of contamination fear, posttraumatic stress and general psychological symptoms following the outbreak of COVID-19. Emerging adults were more resilient than adults in coping with distress.

Low temperature plasma (LTP) technology has shown an outstanding application value in the pharmaceutical filed in recent ten years. This paper reviews the research advances in LTP, including its effects on enhancing or inhibiting drug activity, its combined use with drugs to treat cancers, its effects on the improvement of drug delivery system, its use in preparation of new inactivated virus vaccines, its use with mass spectrometry for rapid detection of drug quality, and the anti-tumor and sterilization effects of plasma-activated liquids. The paper also analyzes the challenges of LTP in the pharmaceutical filed, hoping to promote related research., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Low temperature plasma is a young subject. It shows infinite possibilities in many fields. • Paper introduces the research advances on low temperature plasma in pharmaceutical field for the first time. • Paper summarizes the difficulties in the application of low temperature plasma in pharmacy.

Island countries and territories are often subjected to standardized development strategies, which overlook the distinct needs of different island societies. Indian Ocean island countries and territories face certain shared sustainability challenges but also have their own diverse needs when it comes to sustainable development. This paper undertakes a qualitative analysis of 1) the overarching philosophies of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (MSR) projects and 2) the specific Indian Ocean island-focused initiatives that have formed part of the MSR. The aim is to ascertain the manner in which island sustainability is conceived by and pursued within the MSR framework. The article finds that the Chinese government envisions the MSR as a path toward transnational mutual benefit and pursuit of shared interests, with economic and environmental sustainability being mutually contingent and reinforcing. Focus is placed on bilateral and multilateral partnerships that advance sustainable development across the region and on Indian Ocean islands in particular. Although there is at present a lack of effective assessment of sustainability achievements within the MSR, this policy framework offers an opportunity for working toward sustainable development in a manner that suits diverse island needs.

In this paper, a Stirling cycle heated by a finite reservoir is analyzed and optimized with the entropy generation minimization and the entransy theory based on generalized heat transfer law. Taking the output power and the heat-work conversion efficiency as the optimization objectives, we discuss the optimization applicability of the concepts of entransy loss rate, entransy variation rate associated with work, entransy dissipation rate, entransy loss coefficient, entropy generation rate, entropy generation number and revised entropy generation number in detail. Three numerical cases are presented. The results show that both the entransy loss rate and the entransy variation rate associated with work always increase with the increase of output power, and the entransy loss coefficient always increases with the increase of heat-work conversion efficiency. However, larger entransy dissipation rate and smaller entropy generation rate do not always lead to larger output power, while smaller entropy generation number and smaller revised entropy generation number do not always lead to larger heat-work conversion efficiency, either. Therefore, with the three numerical cases discussed in this paper, we can conclude that the concepts of entransy loss rate, entransy variation rate associated with work and entransy loss coefficient are applicable for the optimization analysis, while the other parameters are not always applicable. Based on the results above, the controversy about the entransy theory is also discussed. The main problems in some negative comments of the entransy theory are summerized and analyzed, such as tampering the original text, logical inconsistency, simple repetition of academic views, renaming key concepts and even personal attacks, etc. It should be noticed that these negative comments are not real academic discussions. To some extent, the results in this paper can also be a responce to some negative comments.

To determine the effect of Wenyang Huazhuo Fang (WHF), a Traditional Chinese Medicine decoction, on renal function in a rat model of doxorubicin-induced nephropathy, and to elucidate the underlying mechanism.Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups: control, doxorubicin-nephropathy, and prednisone-treated (6.45 mg·kg-1·d－1) doxorubicin nephropathy groups, as well as high- (7.26 g·kg-1·d－1, medium- (2.42 g·kg-1·d－1, and low-dose (0.81 g·kg-1·d－1 WHF-treated doxorubicin-nephropathy groups. The nephropathy rat model was established by two tail vein injections of doxorubicin, followed by prednisone or WHF treatment for 8 weeks. Body weights were monitored and urinary protein was measured every 2 weeks. After the end of the treatment period, the rats were euthanized. Serum biochemical indicators were determined and renal morphological alterations were assessed using histological staining. The expression of transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily C member 6 (TRPC6), stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1), and calcium release-activated calcium channel protein 1 (Orai1) was detected using western blotting, and their mRNA levels were examined using quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.WHF treatment was found to significantly ameliorate weight loss, proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, and dyslipidemia in doxorubicin-nephropathy rats. The protein and mRNA levels of TRPC6, STIM1, and Orai1 were partially, but significantly suppressed by prednisone or WHF treatment.Treatment with WHF significantly ameliorates renal injury in a rat model of doxorubicin-induced nephropathy, which could be at least partially related to repression of the TRPC6 pathway.

With the development of wireless communication technology, user anonymity authentication for wireless communication network has become increasingly important. In this paper, we revisit an anonymous...

Human cervical cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Recent studies have focused on microRNAs that play crucial roles in cancer development and progression of cervical cancer. In this study, we aimed to analyse the biological function of microRNA-543 in cervical cancer. Samples of human cervical cancer and matched adjacent normal cervical tissues were collected, and expression level of microRNA-543 and the clinical characteristics of cervical cancer were investigated. We found that microRNA-543 expression was significantly elevated in cervical cancer and its aberrant expression levels were positively correlated with tumour size ( p = 0.0315), differentiation ( p = 0.0134), clinical stage ( p = 0.0315) and overall ( p = 0.0426) and disease-free survival ( p = 0.0396) of cervical cancer. Overexpression of microRNA-543 in cancer-derived HeLa and SiHa facilitated cell growth and suppressed cell apoptosis, while down-regulation of microRNA-543 exerted a reverse effect on cell growth and apoptosis. In addition, we demonstrated that BRCA1-interacting protein 1 was directly regulated by microRNA-543 and the restoration of BRCA1-interacting protein 1 expression reversed the effects of microRNA-543 on cell proliferation. Taken together, these findings collectively demonstrate that microRNA-543 exerts its oncogene function by directly targeting BRCA1-interacting protein 1 in cervical cancer, indicating a potential novel potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for cervical cancer.

To observe the effects of Qufengtongluo Recipe (QFTLR) on the expressions of cell cycle regulatory proteins in rat mesangial cells (MCs) in vitro and investigate the mechanism by which QFTLR inhibits MC proliferation.Using the methods of serum pharmacology, we studied the expressions of cell cycle regulatory proteins in rat MCs treated with QFTLR by laser scanning confocal microscope and immunohistochemistry.Compared with the normal control cells, the cells challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) showed significantly enhanced expressions of cyclin D1, CDK2, and P21 (P0.01) and obviously lowered protein expression of P27 (P0.01). Treatment of the LPS-challenged cells with QFTLR and benazepril both resulted in significantly attenuated expressions of cyclin D1, CDK2, and P21 and obvious increase of P27 expression (P0.05 or P0.01), but QFTLR produced stronger effects than benazepril in regulating of cyclinD1, P21 and P27 protein expressions (P0.05 or P0.01).QFTLR inhibits rat MC proliferation in vitro possibly by down-regulating the cellular expressions of cyclin D1, CDK2, and P21 and up-regulating the expression of P27 protein.