Optimization of supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of flaxseed oil using response surface methodology

The optimal conditions for the supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) extraction of flaxseed oil from flaxseed were determined using response surface methodology (RSM). A second-order regression for rotation-orthogonal composite design was used to study the effects of three independent variables: extraction pressure (MPa), extraction temperature (oC) and CO2 flow rate (L/h) on the yield of flaxseed oil. The independent variables were coded at five levels and their actual values selected on the basis of preliminary experiments. The results indicated that the yield of flaxseed oil was beyond 29% at a probability of 95% in the range of extraction pressure: 38.6-42.3 MPa, extraction temperature: 52.3-57.0 oC, and CO2 flow rate: 27.8-31.2 L/h. The optimal extraction conditions were extraction pressure of 41 MPa, extraction temperature of 56 oC and CO2 flow rate of 31 L/h according to the analysis of response surface. In this condition, the experimental yield of flaxseed oil was 29.96%, which was close to the predicted value of 30.52%

Outdoor Air Pollution and Arterial Hypertension

Air pollution is a major environmental risk factor. There is accumulating evidence that air pollution could induce elevated blood pressure and potentiate hypertension. Acute elevations in the outdoor air pollution levels can trigger immediate or shortly delayed increases in arterial blood pressure. Moreover, few studies suggest that short-term increases in the levels of particulate and gaseous pollutants could lead to an acute onset of hypertension. Prolonged exposure to outdoor air pollution is associated with elevated blood pressure. Furthermore, some longitudinal studies have linked long-term exposure to air pollution with the incidence of hypertension. Various components of air pollution, such as inhalable particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and ozone, have shown associations with blood pressure in some studies. The hypothesized underlying mechanisms include inflammatory reactions and oxidative stress in lungs and in systemic circulation, imbalance of autonomous nervous system, and pathologic changes in vascular endothelium. In addition to “traditional” susceptible groups such as elderly individuals or patients with chronic diseases, children and pregnant women could be especially susceptible to the adverse effects of air pollution. The interplay of air pollution with the related environmental exposures, such as traffic noise and climate change, should be investigated further

Effect of edaravone-urinary kallidinogenase combination treatment on acute cerebral infarction

Purpose: To investigate the curative effect of edaravone in combination with urinary kallidinogenase in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction and its effect on serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and interleukin (IL).Methods: One hundred and eighty patients with acute cerebral infarction (ACI) who were on admission from March 2015 to July 2016 participated in this study as research subjects. They were assigned to study group (59 patients) and control group (59 patients). Edaravone and conventional treatment were administered to the control group. In contrast, in addition to conventional treatment, the study group was given edaravone in combination with urinary kallidinogenase. Clinical effects, neurological function and serum IL-17 and hs-CRP levels in the two groups were determined.Results: The overall response of the study group was significantly higher than that of the control group (p < 0.05). Scores in the National Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) were reduced in both groups, and modified Barthel index (MBI) of both groups remarkably increased, when compared to values before treatment. Improvements in NIHSS score and MBI of the study group were higher than those of the control group (p < 0.05). Serum IL-17 and hs-CRP levels declined significantly in the two groups (p < 0.05), but post-treatment serum IL-17 and hs-CRP levels of the study group were significantly reduced, relative to control values (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups.Conclusion: The use of edaravone in combination with urinary kallidinogenase in the treatment of ACI can significantly reduce serum IL-17 and hs-CRP levels without inducing severe adverse reactions.Keywords: Edaravone, Urinary kallidinogenase, Acute cerebral infarctio

Modes of Antiviral Action of Chemical Portions and Constituents from Woad Root Extract against Influenza Virus A FM1

Woad root has been used for the prevention of influenza for hundreds of years in many Asian countries. In this study, the antiviral modes of clemastanin B (CB), epigoitrin, phenylpropanoid portion (PEP), and the mixture of phenylpropanoids, alkaloids, and organic acid portions (PEP + ALK + OA) from wood root extract against influenza virus A FM1 were investigated. The results revealed that CB, epigoitrin, PEP, and PEP + ALK + OA exert their anti-influenza activity via inhibiting the virus multiplication, prophylaxis, and blocking the virus attachment. The primary mode of action of PEP and PEP + ALK + OA is the inhibition of virus replication. The inhibitory effect on virus attachment and multiplication is the main modes for epigoitrin. All the compounds or chemical portions from woad root extract tested in this study do not have direct virucidal activity. Our results provided the comprehensive analysis of the antiviral mechanism of wood root extract

Epidermal stem cells (ESCs) accelerate diabetic wound healing via the Notch signalling pathway

Synopsis Chronic, non-healing wounds are a major complication of diabetes. Recently, various cell therapies have been reported for promotion of diabetic wound healing. Epidermal stem cells (ESCs) are considered a powerful tool for tissue therapy. However, the effect and the mechanism of the therapeutic properties of ESCs in the diabetic wound healing are unclear. Herein, to determine the ability of ESCs to diabetic wound healing, a dorsal skin defect in a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes mellitus (DM) mouse model was used. ESCs were isolated from mouse skin. We found that both the mRNA and protein levels of a Notch ligand Jagged1 (Jag1), Notch1 and Notch target gene Hairy Enhancer of Split-1 (Hes1) were significantly increased at the wound margins. In addition, we observed that Jag1 was high expressed in ESCs. Overexpression of Jag1 promotes ESCs migration, whereas knockdown Jag1 resulted in a significant reduction in ESCs migration in vitro. Importantly, Jag1 overexpression improves diabetic wound healing in vivo. These results provide evidence that ESCs accelerate diabetic wound healing via the Notch signalling pathway, and provide a promising potential for activation of the Notch pathway for the treatment of diabetic wound

Giant Hall Switching by Surface-State-Mediated Spin-Orbit Torque in a Hard Ferromagnetic Topological Insulator

Topological insulators (TI) can apply highly efficient spin-orbit torque (SOT) and manipulate the magnetization with their unique topological surface states, and their magnetic counterparts, magnetic topological insulators (MTI) offer magnetization without shunting and are one of the highest in SOT efficiency. Here, we demonstrate efficient SOT switching of a hard MTI, V-doped (Bi,Sb)2Te3 (VBST) with a large coercive field that can prevent the influence of an external magnetic field and a small magnetization to minimize stray field. A giant switched anomalous Hall resistance of 9.2 $k\Omega$ is realized, among the largest of all SOT systems. The SOT switching current density can be reduced to $2.8\times10^5 A/cm^2$, and the switching ratio can be enhanced to 60%. Moreover, as the Fermi level is moved away from the Dirac point by both gate and composition tuning, VBST exhibits a transition from edge-state-mediated to surface-state-mediated transport, thus enhancing the SOT effective field to $1.56\pm 0.12 T/ (10^6 A/cm^2)$ and the spin Hall angle to $23.2\pm 1.8$ at 5 K. The findings establish VBST as an extraordinary candidate for energy-efficient magnetic memory devices