Schizandrin A Alleviates LPS-Induced Injury in Human Keratinocyte Cell Hacat Through a MicroRNA-127-Dependent Regulation

Background/Aims: Inflammatory skin diseases are the most common problems in dermatology. Schizandrin A (SchA) has been reported to have anti-inflammatory properties. Herein, we aimed to investigate the protective effects of SchA on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced injury in keratinocyte HaCaT cells. Methods: Inflammation injury in HaCaT cells was induced by LPS treatment. Cell viability, apoptotic cell rate, and apoptosis-related proteins were analyzed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, Annexin V-(fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)/ Propidium Iodide (PI) double staining method, and western blot, respectively. The pro-inflammatory factors were analyzed by western blot and quantified by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Expression of miR-127 in SchA-treated cells was analyzed by qRT-PCR. The effects of SchA on activations of p38MAPK/ERK and JNK pathways were analyzed by western blot. Results: SchA protected HaCaT cells from LPS-induced inflammation damage via promoting cell viability, suppressing apoptosis. Meanwhile, SchA inhibited IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α expression. miR-127 expression was up-regulated in LPS-treated HaCaT cells but down-regulated after SchA treatment. Overexpression of miR-127 inhibited cell growth and induced expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α. Additionally, miR-127 overexpression impaired the protective effects of SchA, implying miR-127 might be correlated to the anti-inflammation property of SchA and also involved in inactivation of p38MAPK/ERK and JNK pathways by SchA. Conclusion: miR-127 is involved in the protective functions of SchA on LPS-induced inflammation injury in human keratinocyte cell HaCaT, which might inactivates of p38MAPK/ERK and JNK signaling pathways in HaCaT cells

Sintering and characterisation of Gd3Al3Ga2O12/Y3Al5O12 layered composite scintillation ceramic

A novel layered GGAG/YAG composite scintillation ceramic can be prepared at 1650 degrees C using an easily accessible preparation procedure. The oxygen sintering-hot isostatic pressing method implemented in this work can significantly shorten the preparation period of scintillation ceramics. The ceramic exhibits regular grain microstructure. Interface of the composite ceramic is clean and straight. As prepared, the layered Ce:GGAG/Cr:YAG composite ceramic can emit a broad range of photons with wavelength from 500 to 750 nm under excitation. The integral spectra is composed of three parts: emitted photons of Cr:YAG and Ce:GGAG and emitted light of Cr:YAG excitated by the photons emitted by the Ce:GGAG ceramic layerprepared by the proposed method. The method accomplished in this work can significantly improve the exploration of full spectrum scintillation/luminescence ceramics preparation and spectra designation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Effects of B vitamins overload on plasma insulin level and hydrogen peroxide generation in rats

It has been reported that nicotinamide-overload induces oxidative stress associated with insulin resistance, the key feature of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to investigate the effects of B vitamins in T2DM. Glucose tolerance tests (GTT) were carried out in adult Sprague-Dawley rats treated with or without cumulative doses of B vitamins. More specifically, insulin tolerance tests (ITT) were also carried out in adult Sprague-Dawley rats treated with or without cumulative doses of Vitamin B3. We found that cumulative Vitamin B1 and Vitamin B3 administration significantly increased the plasma H2O2 levels associated with high insulin levels. Only Vitamin B3 reduced muscular and hepatic glycogen contents. Cumulative administration of nicotinic acid, another form of Vitamin B3, also significantly increased plasma insulin level and H2O2 generation. Moreover, cumulative administration of nicotinic acid or nicotinamide impaired glucose metabolism. This study suggested that excess Vitamin B1 and Vitamin B3 caused oxidative stress and insulin resistance

Transition Metal (Fe, Co, Mn) Boosting the Lithium Storage of the Multishelled NiO Anode

Further commercial application of low-cost NiO-based anodes is hindered by their large volume expansion after full lithiation and relatively poor theoretical capacity. To improve these issues, transition metal (Fe, Co, or Mn)-modified triple-shelled NiO microspheres (TS-NiO) are successfully synthesized by using a hard template double-adsorption method. Among them, the Fe-modified TS-NiO (TS-NFO) exhibits an extraordinary lithium storage ability with high reversible capacity and outstanding cycling stability (2061.1 mAh g(-1) after 800 cycles at 0.5 A g(-1)), which is the highest performing nickel oxide-based anode reported to date. The outstanding electrochemical performance of TS-NFO can be ascribed to its unique triple-shelled structure. The inner core of TS-NFO is composed of NiO and is encapsulated by two outer shells which are composed of a mixture of alpha-Fe2O3 and NiFe2O4, resulting in a unique hollow triple-shelled structure (NiO@alpha-Fe2O3/NiFe2O4). The void space between the triple shells leaves room for their volume changes during lithiation/delithiation, which improves the cycling stability. In addition, the introduced alpha-Fe2O3/NiFe2O4 outer shells increase the energy density and reversible capacity due to a synergistically interactive effect