The Effect of Temozolomide/Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)/Nano-Hydroxyapatite Microspheres on Glioma U87 Cells Behavior

In this study, we investigated the effects of temozolomide (TMZ)/Poly (lactide-co-glycolide)(PLGA)/nano-hydroxyapatite microspheres on the behavior of U87 glioma cells. The microspheres were fabricated by the “Solid/Water/Oil” method, and they were characterized by using X-Ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The proliferation, apoptosis and invasion of glioma cells were evaluated by MTT, flow cytometry assay and Transwell assay. The presence of the key invasive gene, αVβ3 integrin, was detected by the RT-PCR and Western blot method. It was found that the temozolomide/PLGA/nano-hydroxyapatite microspheres have a significantly diminished initial burst of drug release, compared to the TMZ laden PLGA microspheres. Our results suggest they can significantly inhibit the proliferation and invasion of glioma cells, and induce their apoptosis. Additionally, αVβ3 integrin was also reduced by the microspheres. These data suggest that by inhibiting the biological behavior of glioma cells in vitro, the newly designed temozolomide/PLGA/nano-hydroxyapatite microspheres, as controlled drug release carriers, have promising potential in treating glioma

Complexity Analysis of Precipitation and Runoff Series Based on Approximate Entropy and Extreme-Point Symmetric Mode Decomposition

Many regional hydrological regime changes are complex under the influences of climate change and human activities, which make it difficult to understand the regional or basin al hydrological status. To investigate the complexity of precipitation and the runoff time series from 1960 to 2012 in the Jing River Basin on different time scales, approximate entropy, a Bayesian approach and extreme-point symmetric mode decomposition were employed. The results show that the complexity of annual precipitation and runoff has decreased since the 1990sand that the change occurred in 1995. The Intrinsic Mode Function (IMF)-6 component decomposed by extreme-point symmetric mode decomposition of monthly precipitation and runoff was consistent with precipitation and runoff. The IMF-6 component of monthly precipitation closely followed the 10-year cycle of change, and it has an obvious correlation with sunspots. The correlation coefficient is 0.6, representing a positive correlation before 1995 and a negative correlation after 1995. However, the IMF-6 component of monthly runoff does not have a significant correlation with sunspots, and the correlation coefficient is only 0.41, which indicates that climate change is not the dominant factor of runoff change. Approximate entropy is an effective analytical method for complexity, and furthermore, it can be decomposed by extreme-point symmetric mode decomposition to obtain the physical process of the sequences at different time scales, which helps us to understand the background of climate change and human activity in the process of precipitation and runoff

Histopathological and calreticulin changes in the liver and gill of Takifugu fasciatus demonstrate the effects of copper nanoparticle and copper sulphate exposure

Copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) are water pollutants, which has significant toxic environmental effects. However, the effects of Cu-NPs on Takifugu fasciatus are still relatively unknown. Compared with the control (no add CuSO4 and Cu-NPs). This study aims to describe the pathological changes in the gill and liver of pufferfish exposed to CuSO4 (Cu2+ for short) and Cu-NPs dissolved at a concentration of either 20 or 100 μg/L, in a semi-static waterborne exposure regime for 28 days. All Cu treatments resulted in organ injuries, and the pathologies observed following exposure to Cu-NPs were broadly of the same type as those observed following exposure to Cu2+. In the gill, these included lamellar fusion, clubbed tips, and mucocytes swollen, and in the liver included oedema, aggregation of blood cells, and necrosis. Furthermore, enzyme activity assays revealed that Ca2+ -ATP activity significantly increased under the influence of Cu, whilst Na+-K+-ATPase activity was significantly inhibited. In this study, the CRT in T. fasciatus (referred to as TfCRT) was identified and full-length cDNA sequences were characterized. Subsequently, RT-PCR and western blot analysis were carried out to assess the expressions of TfCRT in the gill and liver at both the mRNA and protein levels. Under both the Cu-NPs and Cu2+ treatments, both the mRNA and protein expressions of TfCRT were considerably higher in the gill and liver compared to that of the control treatment. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between Cu-NPs and Cu2+ treatment (at the same treatment concentration) in the expressions of TfCRT at the mRNA or protein levels. Overall, both Cu2+ and Cu-NPs had negative effects on T. fasciatus, and Cu-NPs had the toxic effects similar to dissolved Cu. Our results provide the ecological safety data service of Cu-NPs in water, and provide a reference for the health T. fasciatus aquaculture